Agenda item

With reference to Article 11 of the minute of meeting of the Education and Children’s Services Committee of 16 September 2025, the Council had before it a report by the Executive Director - Families and Communities, which had been referred to it by eight members of the Committee in accordance with Standing Order 34.1, and which presented the 2025 annual update to the School Estate Plan and provided information on progress with implementation of the Plan and highlighted new priorities which had emerged over the last year.

The report recommended:-

that the Education and Children’s Services Committee -

(a)           note the updates to the Action Plan provided at Appendix A of the report;

(b)           instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to continue to implement the School Estate Action Plan in accordance with the updated Long Term Programme, presented within Appendix B of the report;

(c)           refer the capital and revenue cost implications of the updated Action Plan and Programme, as shown at Appendix C of the report, to the budget setting process for 2026/27;

(d)           instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to carry out an options appraisal to determine any required interim arrangements for establishing the proposed new school at Bucksburn/Newhills, and to include the cost implications of any such arrangements in the budget setting process for 2026/27, with a view to the arrangements being included within the proposals for the forthcoming statutory public consultation on the new school;

(e)           instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to undertake a feasibility study to investigate options for the establishment of a new primary school to serve Grandhome, including any required interim arrangements, and to report the findings of the feasibility study in an Outline Business Case, in line with the timescales outlined in the Long Term Programme at Appendix B of this report; and

(f)             instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to further develop proposals and timescales for future ASG based asset reviews, and to build these in to future updates of the School Estate Plan.

Members asked a number of questions of officers and following an extended adjournment, Councillor Houghton moved as a procedural motion, seconded by Councillor Nicoll:-     

That the item be deferred to the next cycle of meetings.

On a division, there voted:-

For the procedural motion   (21)  -  Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Boulton, Brooks, Crockett, Cross, Farquhar, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Kusznir, Lawrence, Macdonald, McLeod, Malik, Massey, Nicoll, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

Against the procedural motion  (22)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

The Council resolved:-

to reject the procedural motion. 

Councillors Crockett, Houghton, Malik, Nicoll, Tissera and Watson expressed their dissent against the foregoing decision in terms of Standing Order 32.8

At this juncture, Councillor Boulton indicated that she had an addendum that she wanted to propose. The Lord Provost noted that it had not been submitted in accordance with the timescales required in Standing Orders and therefore he was not accepting it. Councillor Boulton responded that she would therefore have to requisition a Special Council meeting, which the Lord Provost described as pathetic. Following a short adjournment, the Lord Provost apologised to Councillor Boulton for his use of the word pathetic, which had been a knee-jerk reaction to what had been said.

Councillor Greig moved, seconded by Councillor Mennie:-

That the Council approve the recommendations contained within the report.

Councillor Blake moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Grant:-

          That the Council -

(a)       note that Victorian schools had been assessed for wheelchair accessibility; 

(b)       instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to ensure that any future reviews of school buildings, including the planned ASG based asset reviews, include an assessment of accessibility, which gives consideration to all disabilities, in line with the Scottish Government’s guidance on “Planning improvements for disabled pupils' access to education: guidance for education authorities, independent and grant-aided schools”; 

(c)        note the updates to the Action Plan which were provided at Appendix A of the report;

(d)       instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to carry out an options appraisal to determine any required interim arrangements for establishing the proposed new school at Bucksburn/Newhills, and to include the cost implications of any such arrangements in the budget setting process for 2026/27, with a view to the arrangements being included within the proposals for the forthcoming statutory public consultation on the new school;

(e)       instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to undertake a feasibility study to investigate options for the establishment of a new primary school to serve Grandhome, including any required interim arrangements, and to report the findings of the feasibility study in an Outline Business Case, in line with the timescales outlined in the Long Term Programme at Appendix B of the report;

(f)         instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to further develop proposals and timescales for future ASG based asset reviews, and to build these into future updates of the School Estate Plan;

(g)       instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to engage with the people of Aberdeen on the possibility of establishing a Catholic secondary school in the city; and 

(h)       as per 4.2 of the report to the Education and Children’s Services Committee on 21 November 2023, the S75 agreement for Countesswells did not allow for the Council to use the Secondary School Contribution for a school on a different site, and to instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to bring forward a report to the next appropriate Committee on the losses from developers’ contributions collected, uncollected and no longer applicable by the decision not to proceed with a secondary school at Countesswells at this time. 

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (22)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

For the amendment   (21)  -  Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Boulton, Brooks, Crockett, Cross, Farquhar, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Kusznir, Lawrence, Macdonald, McLeod, Malik, Massey, Nicoll, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

The Council further resolved:-

to adopt the motion.  

Councillors Boulton, Crockett, Malik, Nicoll, Tissera and Watson expressed their dissent against the foregoing decision in terms of Standing Order 32.8