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Council in turmoil over schools Salmond backs school plan rethink
(about 6 hours later)
The leader of Edinburgh City Council has said her party could go it alone and form a minority administration after a coalition deal was breached. Alex Salmond has said councillors in Edinburgh were right to scrap plans to close 22 schools and nurseries across the city.
SNP had been in partnership with the Liberal Democrats in the capital. The first minister made the comment after SNP members withdrew their support on Monday for the closure plan.
But Lib Dem council leader Jenny Dawe said the Nationalists breached the deal when they withdrew support for a radical programme of school closures. The Liberal Democrat/SNP run council had agreed to close the schools in a bid to save £9m over three years.
The council had been planning to shut 22 nurseries, primaries and secondaries schools throughout the city. Council leader Jenny Dawe said the move could now result in her party forming a minority administration.
However those plans, which had sparked an angry reaction from some pupils and parents, were scrapped on Monday after the SNP group said they no longer backed them. Mr Salmond described the original plan to close the schools as not being well thought through.
They did not inform us they were withdrawing their support from the programme Jenny DaweEdinburgh Council leader He made his views known as he launched a new university entrepreneurship scheme with Sir Tom Hunter.
The Liberal Democrats, who are the largest group on the council, held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation on Monday night. The billionaire, who has pledged £750,000 to schools in the city, including two of those earmarked for closure, said he too was pleased by the council's rethink.
Ms Dawe told BBC Scotland that forming a minority administration was a possibility. Consultation process
The Liberal Democrat councillor said: "That is obviously an option." Ms Dawe told BBC Scotland there was "shock and disappointment" among her party colleagues over the SNP's actions.
Ms Dawe added there had been "shock and disappointment" amongst Lib Dems over the actions of the SNP. She said: "They did not inform us they were withdrawing their support from the programme.
"They did not inform us they were withdrawing their support from the programme," she said.
"Up until a few days before that we had their full support."Up until a few days before that we had their full support.
"Everybody knew it was going to be an extremely difficult exercise that we were embarking on, but we had not even started the formal part of the consultation.""Everybody knew it was going to be an extremely difficult exercise that we were embarking on, but we had not even started the formal part of the consultation."
The school closure plans affected 14,000 children They did not inform us they were withdrawing their support from the programme Jenny DaweEdinburgh Council leader
She said: "Up until now the coalition has worked, I think, very well. The Lib Dems group, which is the largest on the council, held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation on Monday night.
"This was a breach of the agreement we had." Ms Dawe added: "Up until now the coalition has worked, I think, very well.
Council leaders had argued that shutting schools would address the problem of falling school rolls and would also save £9m in running costs over the next three years. "This was a breach of the agreement we had.
Ms Dawe said: "It may well be that what we now have to do is to look again at how we get over the fact that the education of the children in our city could be better, there are many children who are in schools that are below 60% occupancy, some below 30% occupancy. "It may well be that what we now have to do is to look again at how we get over the fact that the education of the children in our city could be better, there are many children who are in schools that are below 60% occupancy, some below 30% occupancy.
"Clearly it's not an issue that's going to go away.""Clearly it's not an issue that's going to go away."
Consultation process
Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary and SNP MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, said: "I fully support the SNP group, this is the correct decision.
"It is quite clear they realised that the information about schools was inappropriate and wrong and that they have listened to the community, which was deeply aggrieved."
Labour, which controlled the council until the elections in May, had looked at shutting a raft of schools.Labour, which controlled the council until the elections in May, had looked at shutting a raft of schools.
The council's balance of power shifted after the election when Labour were reduced from 30 to 15 councillors. The council's balance of power shifted after the election when Labour representation on the council was reduced from 30 to 15 councillors.
Liberal Democrat councillors won 17 seats while SNP gained 12, the Conservatives 11 and the Greens three. The Lib Dems won 17 seats while the SNP gained 12, the Conservatives 11 and the Greens three.
A report will now go before the next full council meeting later this month to terminate the consultation process formally.A report will now go before the next full council meeting later this month to terminate the consultation process formally.