School heads force council U-turn over budget cuts

A CASH-strapped council has backed down on plans to cut school budgets by 2.5 per cent.

The City of Edinburgh Council yesterday revealed that it is to reduce the required efficiency savings to 1 per cent.

The U-turn came after secondary headteachers wrote to the local authority saying that the cuts were untenable.

All the city's secondary heads united in a letter that said it would be better to close some schools than expect all to make such a swingeing cut.

Yesterday , councillors agreed to find another 250,000 from wider council budgets.

In November, council officials suggested 5 million of savings were needed from spending because of severe financial pressures.

The authority blamed a pay deal struck with teachers nationally, increased property rates and class sizes for the money worries.

Marilyne MacLaren, the council's education leader, said serious concerns expressed by teachers and parents and been listened to.

She said: "Unfortunately, some services will still be affected but by reducing savings in schools budgets to just 1 per cent we are safeguarding 3m that can be targeted where it is most needed.

"We are conscious that headteachers have been struggling with their supplies and services budget, which has not been increased in real terms for ten years."

It has also emerged that proposals to close two secondary schools, Wester Hailes Education Centre and Castlebrae Community High, have been scrapped.

However, plans to close about six community centres look set to go ahead.

Thousands of pupils and parents had been preparing to take part in a mass rally at the City Chambers on Tuesday in protest against the school cuts.