Scottish Borders Local Association

Arrogant councillors ignored the voters

Published Date: 8 January 2009

Letters to the editor ...

I am disgusted by the decision of our councillors to back cuts in education, under the guise of Transforming Children's Services.

Every councillor has been elected by the people of the Borders to represent the views of their community.

Yet despite every councillor being left in no doubt of the opposition to the cuts, especially the issue of shared head teachers and significant reduction in heads of department, the councillors took it upon themselves to vote in agreement with Scottish Borders Council officials that these cuts are acceptable.

I am stunned by the arrogance of councillors thinking that their own views should come above those of the people who voted them in.

Cuts need to be made, apparently (don’t they always – it’s what we hear year-on-year), but if all that the well-paid leaders of SBC can come up with is removing the most experienced leader in a school, then I despair for our children’s educational future.

When finances are apparently so tight, how is it that SBC is able to pay its employees enhanced redundancy payments, even to those who were apparently leaving anyway.

To those in private-sector employment, if you are surplus to requirement due to overstaffing, then you are given the legal entitlement to redundancy pay and are paid off. That’s it.

You simply cannot share a head teacher between schools and expect there to be no detrimental effect. I keenly await the response of the councillors who voted for the cuts to justify their decision.

Fiona Duff

(chairman, Hobkirk Parent Council)

Bonchester Bridge

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