We are deeply alarmed by a new suggestion that a much needed new school in Kirkliston could be linked to potentially thousands of new homes being built near the village on the greenbelt.

We have spoken with Senior Education Officers and made it absolutely clear that Kirkliston must not be held to ransom over a new school. We believe Kirkliston needs and deserves better school facilities – nursery, primary and secondary . This *should not* be conditional on even more housing.

One of our first acts after being elected was to fight for a new high school in the village rather than busing children to other places, battling with rush hour traffic. Now we have a chance of a new/shared campus primary school too, helping to alleviate the growing pressure at the existing Kirkliston Primary.

However, we are angry at the suggestion that a new school may be conditional on the building of even more new homes. We think this is unacceptable and is already being seen as attempt by the Council to get further housing development in the village ‘through the back door’.

We will fight any attempt to hold people in Kirkliston to ransom in this way. Parents and children in the village already deserve new and properly funded schools. It cannot be dependent on even more housing on the greenbelt, especially when we are still working to address the traffic and other issues arising from existing new developments.

We will not support this and will continue to stand up for our community’s right to proper local school provision.