Scottish Borders Local Association

The Budget Chronicles...

...a Long and Sorry Saga

- in April 2001 it starts to emerge that there has been an 'overspend' in SBC's education budget...

- a 'working group' meets to consider the education budget overspends in 1999/00 and 2000/01

June 2001

- it is reported that John Taylor, Assistant Director of Education (Finance) was suspended for "matters of personal conduct"

- it now seems that the overspend is much higher than previously thought and is put at £3.9m. The Council Convener, Drew Tulley, says there will be "no cover up". The situation is described as "serious". David Parker (SNP), the opposition leader speaks of "maladministration on a grand scale" and calls for the resignations of Education Committee Chairman David Suckling and Director of Education John Christie.

- John Taylor is sacked for "gross misconduct"

- Drew Tulley criticises local EIS Secretary Jock Houston, saying it's unfortunate that he "should whip up unnecessary public anxiety". A decision on cuts to cleaners' hours had already been taken 'under emergency powers'. At a public meeting in Newcastleton, Councillor Tulley's diplomatic skills were to the fore when he stated that teachers were "well paid".

- school cleaners would be going on to a four-day week, meaning that schools would not be cleaned on one day each week. The big 'summer clean' would not take place. Rab Stewart, local TGWU organiser, said that this would "seriously affect hygiene standards". Funds that had been earmarked for the NGfL computer programme would not now be used for that purpose. A police fraud investigation had been launched into "possible financial irregularities" in a small number of transactions in the education department.

July 2001

- we are now into the summer break. Parents in Westruther staged a demonstration after learning that possible cuts included the closure of their nursery. Up until now, only those councillors directly involved have been told of proposed cuts. Public benches are packed for the full council meeting on July 5 and parents and cleaners staged a demo. An immediate decision on further cuts was postponed but some - including the cleaning cuts - had gone through earlier under 'emergency powers'. Cuts proposed included the closure of nurseries at Fountainhall and Westruther, a complete freeze on staff development budget, reductions in repairs and maintenance and slashing schools' DSM budgets. The vote to postpone a decision to allow time for further consideration was narrow at just 14-12

- an announcement was made that Audit Scotland had commissioned KPMG to carry out an investigation into the overspend.

- the Senior Education Officer in charge of nursery education attended a public meeting in Westruther and was told that closing the nursery there would be a disaster for the village. Soon afterwards she went on long-term sick leave.

- the same Lib Dem councillors who had voted to postpone a decision now said they could accept all the cuts apart from the nursery closures. The date for the council meeting is set at 1 August.

August 2001

- a large demo takes place outside the SBC Offices. The public gallery is packed and civic leader Alistair Hewat attempts to keep order but one heckler has to be ejected. The cuts - minus the nursery closures are approved by 28-8 (see list). Elsewhere Audit Scotland confirmed that it would submit its report to the Accounts Commission.

- HM Inspectors would be inspecting the work of the education service in the borders, though this is not said to be related to the current crisis.

- parents protesting at cuts affecting children with special needs demonstrated outside the Scottish Parliament.

- a petition against the cuts is launched. A report is published on the impact of the cleaning cuts. Teachers returning after the summer break are "shocked" at the filthy state that some schools are now in, not having been cleaned over the summer holiday.

- BHTA met on 28 Aug, 68 out of 72 headteachers were there, they issued a unanimous demand for SBC to "seek alternatives" to the cuts. Hygiene concerns were considerable and the issue was serious.

September 2001

- at a meeting held in private, it is decided to sell off some playing fields at Broomlands Primary School in Kelso

- David Suckling has at last stepped down as Chairman of the (then) Education Committee. Geoff Evans, the Vice-Chair also stood down.

- SBC's Chief Executive retired on ill-health grounds. He had been on sick leave since March, just before details started to emerge of the overspend.

- John Taylor was found to be 'not competent' to give evidence to the police inquiry, on medical grounds.

- a call was made for a parliamentary debate to demand that all special needs cuts should be reinstated. In a separate issue it was revealed publicly that SBC had agreed to sell off some playing fields at Broomlands Primary in Kelso for a housing development.

- local TGWU organiser Rab Stewart said that a compromise proposal over the cleaning cuts hade been proposed. A joint meeting of 17 school boards had passed a motion of no confidence in the council.

- a march and rally in Galashiels is planned for later in the month. Drew Tulley says "I have no objection to the march but I don't know what good it will do."

- the march goes ahead on 29 September and over 2000 people turned out on the streets of Galashiels in what can only be described as appalling weather conditions and non-stop rain. EIS General Secretary Ronnie Smith and National President Sandy Fowler came down to offer their support. Local MPs and MSPs also turned out. In the circumstances it was a strength of feeling that would prove difficult to ignore.

October 2001

- the petition with 10000 names was handed in the Scottish Parliament.

- Audit Scotland publishes a damning report pointing to "serious weaknesses in the financial management of educational services" within SBC. Director of Education John Christie and former Director of Finance John Campbell were both criticised. Both reports pointed to the role of sacked Assistant Director, John Taylor.On the same day, the SBC Working Group (Drew Tulley, Bill Hardie, David Lindores, Alex Nichol, Hugh Wight) published their own internal report.

- the day after the reports are published, Drew Tulley says "I have no difficulty in defending my position."

- a plan by the SNP group to join forces with the 14 Lib Dems and form a new ruling group is rejected

November 2001

- a protest meeting is organised and a large turnout came to hear speakers in the (unheated!) Victoria Hall, Selkirk

December 2001

- the Education Culture and Sports Committee of the Scottish Parliament has been taking evidence in its own inquiry into the fiasco. Mike Russell MSP and member of the Committee has been listening to the evidence given by David Suckling and comments "…I have the feeling that all afternoon we have heard the story of a bystander at a traffic accident who watches the accident happen but is not involved and cannot remember some of the details."

January 2002

- an Assistant Director of Education met with Continuing Education (formerly Community Education) staff and told them that the whole of the service was to be discontinued and that all community centres would be shut down...

February 2002

- a meeting held at the Cross Keys in Kelso attracted a large audience and there was standing room only. Speaker after speaker condemned the proposed cuts. Councillor Alec Nicol addressed the meeting and attempted to explain the reasoning behind them. To his credit - and in contrast to the rest of our elected members - he did at least turn up, but it could only be described as a lamentable performance…

- SBC plans £5.5m cuts for the 2002/2003 Council budget, much of this from education. Advisors' jobs would go and there would be more compulsory redundancies in Continuing Education. Swimming pools in the region would close and the Council Tax would rise by 10%...

- the cuts are proposed at a chaotic SBC meeting. A large and noisy crowd of demonstrators is outside and the meeting has to be suspended on a number of occasions. The SNP members proposed to defer the cuts - those outside the ruling group had only seen details of them 90 minutes before the meeting. Norman Pender, Geoff Evans, David Jones and Bobby Rutherford ignored the (Lib Dem) whip to support, along with (the late) Tom Henderson, the SNP proposal.

- despite all this, the protests are in vain and the cuts are voted through by 19-10. For the record, here's how the voting went:

The Street of Shame...

Catherine Home-Robertson, John Law, Logan Forrest, John Elliot, David Lindores, Robert Jack, Alexander Nicol, John Scott, James Scott, David Paterson, William Hardie, William Smith, Alastair Hewat, Andrew Tulley, Riddle Dumble, William Lamb, Reid Meikle, Patricia Smith, Anne Younger

The Hall of Fame...

David Jones, Robert Rutherford, Hugh Wight, Norman Pender, Geoffrey Evans, Thomas Henderson, Christopher Renton, David Parker, John Mitchell, Bryan Brockie

Abstained...

Ian Waddell

Absent...

Oliver Angus, Anne Borthwick, James Nairn, David Suckling

- Drew Tulley's position was described as 'untenable' by Scottish Parliament's education committee, who have been investigation the budget crisis. There had been an 'inexcusable' lack of financial control. Karen Gillon, the Convener of the Committee, said it was "time for Mr Tulley to consider his position". Tulley says "As far as I am concerned I will not resign".

- it also emerged that Councillor Tulley is the subject of new bullying allegations by a senior official at SBC - two years ago, similar allegations were made by another senior official and this matter was subsequently settled out of court.

March 2002

- Tulley resigned on 6 March

- a new administration is formed, headed by John Ross Scott. David Parker is offered the deputy convener's post but is forced to resign from the SNP in order to take it. The new administration hopes to find a way to avoid having to make some of the cuts...

April 2002

- Drew Tulley criticises senior education officials saying "I can say that now and no longer need to cover up - I know the problems." [Shome mishtake shurely? Is this not the same Drew Tulley who trumpeted last June "there will be no cover up"?? Ed.]

- it is reported that John Christie, former Director of Education, has retired because of ill health

May 2002

- following public outcry, the new administration revoked the decision to sell off playing fields at Broomlands Primary

- John Taylor appears in court accused of embezzlement

- there is a reorganisation of the education department - two Assistant Directors of Education have accepted offers of early retirement

- while the threat of compulsory redundancies of advisers seems to have faded, there are still redundancies in the offing for Community Education. This is described in an internal SBC document as a "reduced staff structure to support reduced services". The equivalent of 18 full-time posts are under the axe.

June 2002

- …and so it comes to pass that Continuing Education jobs are indeed cut. In a news release disingenuously entitled 'Restructured Service Geared to Meet Future Needs' it is announced that nine FTE posts will go; three of these will be compulsory redundancies, with possibly a fourth to follow. Other vacant posts will not be filled - in order to 'meet future needs' presumably. Yet more staff will face cuts in their hours.

- Audit Scotland publishes a follow-up 'Progress Report' which identifies the positive steps taken by SBC but which also points to a number of shortcomings. In particular, council members are criticised by the report: "It is a matter of serious concern that elected members noted the content of that [budget monitoring] report without exploring an overt statement which pointed to a lack of co-ordination between the finance and education departments." Plus ça change…

March 2003

- it is reported that John Christie, former Director of Education, has taken up a new post as development officer for the Virtual Staff College, a project run by the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES). Last April, SBC was told that the Director was "permanently incapacitated" and unfit to resume his duties.

April 2003

- former Assistant Director of Education, John Taylor, admits in court embezzling some £28000 or so from SBC...

May 2003

- John Taylor is jailed for 15 months for embezzling £28000.

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