RESIDENTS should be consulted on the future for their schools, a Labour councillor has urged.

Douglas McAllister said it was “not good enough” that the SNP-led West Dunbartonshire Council administration had done nothing towards building new schools.

He was responding to the Post’s story last week about how a piece of mortar fell from the roof of Edinbarnet Primary, forcing part of the school grounds to be fenced off for safety.

A plan for essential repairs over the summer had been delayed until November, and parents last week said a new school was actually what was needed.

Cllr McAllister told the Post that Labour would have reached Edinbarnet and St Joseph’s Primary by now if they were still in power.

He said he understands a survey has been carried out on the school, and assurances have been given to the school regarding its safety.

The Kilpatrick ward councillor said: “The SNP don’t have a school plan. This happened the last time they were in power - they couldn’t take difficult decisions.

“There’s a sense in the community that they have been forgotten about.

“I know it’s going to be a very hard decision for the council because they will have to look at whether they can finance both schools or merge the building into a joint campus.

“Right now the SNP are kicking the can down the road.

“Does the SNP have a plan for these schools or not?

Read more: Mortar falling from Edinbarnet Primary pushes demands for new school

“We should be consulting with both school communities now and asking realistically what do they want the council to look at.

“Are they willing to consider merging the two, or a super campus with a new library? Is that the way forward?

“There appears to be no plan and we have reached this emergency situation where they’re closing parts of the school.

“It’s just not good enough.”

Education convener, depute provost Karen Conaghan, did not reply to requests for comment from this newspaper.

Clydebank MSP Gil Paterson last week slammed Labour for using PFI/PPP contracts to build infrastructure projects such as West Dunbartonshire’s four new secondaries and one new primary.

He told the Post: “The sad fact is Labour had no idea what they were doing when they set up these contracts and were completely out-manoeuvred by the financial institutions.

“This has resulted in public sector organisations like West Dunbartonshire Council being left with crippling annual debts.

“When Labour bangs on about attractive, but un-costed spend commitments, we should all remember what has happened to the public sector budgets as a result of their PFI policies, policies which were clearly never properly thought through or costed.

“It’s also clear that, because of their cavalier attitude to public spending, Labour can’t be trusted with the country’s public finances ever again.”

Last week’s audit committee heard one of the biggest risks to the council and its residents was “significant financial funding reductions from Scottish Government”.