Letters: Schools' surplus places are merely a work of fiction

The city council has known since at least last September that the supposed limit of 25 might not be legally enforceable, so why it has taken until June to seek clarification is beyond me.

In the meantime, the shifting sands of class sizes does shed an interesting light on the current debate on school closures. The city council has said that there are 9,000 "surplus" places in primary schools in Edinburgh and this is why it has closed three schools so far and plans to close another four this year, with more to follow.

There are 91 primary schools in Edinburgh. Let us assume that each has, on average, two primary one classes. By shifting the maximum class size from 25 up to 30, the effect is to generate an extra 900 "surplus" places. Nothing else has changed. There is the same number of teachers and learning assistants. There is the same number of classrooms and they are the same shape.

This demonstrates the city council's estimates of capacity are entirely notional. They are based on taking all available spaces and applying to them the maximum allowable number of children, in a way that bears no resemblance to the various imaginative ways in which schools actually use space for the benefit of children.

There are not 9,000 "surplus" places in primary schools in Edinburgh. This is a fiction to justify a school closures programme which will rebound badly on the city in the future as the number of children aged five to 12 rises again.

Gavin Corbett, Briarbank Terrace, Edinburgh

Lack of beer at gig nearly created riot

HOW can Edinburgh expect to attract more big-name bands when the facilities for fans are so poor? Fans at the Oasis gig had to queue over an hour for a beer and it nearly led to a riot.

Lots of people had drunk more than enough outside the ground but some of us just wanted one drink. Other venues seem to cope with these events – when will Murrayfield wake up?

Chris Arnold, Midmar Avenue, Edinburgh

What's the story with closing school?

I WONDER what council officials were thinking about when they closed Roseburn Primary School early for the Oasis concert.

We're told that they did this on police advice. Really? Did the police really say that the school should be closed? In any case, who gave the police authority to demand the closure of a school? Would it not have been better for the police to control access around the school?

Stewart Geddes, Quality Street Lane, Edinburgh

Taxing task of collecting debts

I READ with some disappointment your article and leader comment regarding council tax collection in Saturday's paper as both failed to fully explain the position within Edinburgh.

The 117 million which is outstanding is out of 2,525m council tax billed and covers the period from local government reorganisation in 1996. This means that 95.4 per cent of tax has been collected.

Given that Edinburgh has the highest figure of council tax billed in Scotland, it is not surprising that any percentage not collected translates into a sizeable sum.

The council recognises that it won't collect everything that is due to it and over the years, through improved collection performance, we have increased the figure we aim to collect from 95 per cent to 96.3 per cent each year.

It is important for people to know that the collection of council tax goes on long after the end of the financial year and, apart from a few exceptions, no tax due to the council is written off as uncollectable. The figure of 92.9 per cent referred to as being collected for 2007-8 is the amount collected in that year to 31 March, 2008. Action to recover what remains outstanding is ongoing and an eventual collection level of 96.3 per cent is anticipated.

The latest statistics from the Scottish Government show Edinburgh to be second of the four cities in collecting council tax.

Phil Wheeler, Finance and Resources Convener, Edinburgh City Council

Yes to new school, but keep the park

DAVE DAVIDSON in his letter (15 June) makes a number of inaccurate statements about the council's proposed plan to build on Portobello Park.

The council undertook the statutory consultation regarding the re-provisioning of the school, that is a consultation with the school community. There has been no public consultation about the loss of public assets: the park, the playing fields and quite possibly the golf course. The council does not know the views of the council tax paying public regarding the development on the park.

The council initially denied that Portobello Park was common good land, subsequently changed its mind, and now agrees with PPAG that it is common good land. The council is now seeking to build on the land without the necessary permission from the courts. If any party is ignoring the law, it is the council.

We welcome the provision of a new school. What we object to is the development and loss of Portobello Park which, once built on, will be lost forever.

R Sutherland, Chair, Portobello Park Action Group