A look back...

Was looking through the Greenock Telegraph archives from 2006 and came across this article:

SECONDARY school pupils and staff in Inverclyde could face years of crumbling buildings, it is claimed. A controversial school re-organisation programme may now not be signed off before the next local council election. And a new administration may scrap proposals to close six schools and build three new ones - and start again from scratch. Now a call has been made for Lib-Dem councillors who introduced the programme to think again. 'The present administration had hoped for a binding contract by May 2007 but it is highly unlikely now,' opposition Labour group leader Stephen McCabe said. 'They have to face the political reality that they cannot deliver their proposals.' Councillor McCabe said the original time-scale had slipped due to delays in a decision by education minister Peter Peacock on whether schools presently running at 80 per cent capacity could be closed. Should the minister give the go-ahead, a funding application for a public private partnership (PPP) will still need to be made. 'As we stand there is no prospect of a PPP contract before the next council election in May 2007,' Councillor McCabe said. 'A new administration will be looking to change the proposals and that will delay investment. 'That is in no-one"s interest. 'The present administration needs to take stock now and sit down with parents, school boards and other political parties to come up with proposals that are acceptable to everyone. 'This will be a major political issue unless everyone can be accommodated.' Councillor McCabe said the Labour group had two major objections to the secondary school proposals - the closure of Notre Dame and St Columba"s that is central to the proposals and the re-zoning of the catchment areas of the east end of Greenock to Port Glasgow. 'We are not opposed to building new schools in principle and we want to see investment,' Councillor McCabe said. Education convener Councillor Jim Mitchell admitted the time-scale had slipped but said the proposals would still go ahead. 'It is more likely now the re-building programme will start in 2009 rather than 2008 and finish in 2011 rather than 2010,' he said. 'It will not make one iota of difference if there is an election before that. 'The Labour party has no alternative proposals and would be terrified of making any. Whatever decisions are taken will be unpopular.'

Alan Blair was fond of telling me that Jim Mitchell was always right. Not on this occasion Alan!