Troubled authority faces inspectors’ gaze

SCHOOL inspectors are to descend on troubled Scottish Borders Council in the spring, a move which could trigger government intervention in the authority’s funding fiasco.

Addressing the education committee at Holyrood which is conducting an inquiry into what caused the £3.9 million financial crisis, the depute schools minister, Nicol Stephen, revealed the inspectors’ examination "has to be under way by springtime".

As Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education is obliged to give eight weeks’ notice and has made no announcement yet, the first half of March is the earliest they will begin their investigations.

Mr Stephen stressed that, in line with the breakdown of roles outlined in the education act, the government firmly views the crisis as the responsibility of the council. He said: "Local authorities have autonomy as to how they meet this obligation and how they manage their budgets, particularly focusing on the needs of their own areas. It is therefore for the council to consider how they deal with the historical £3.9 million overspend and the potential for overspends in the future, while maintaining the quality of the education service."

The onus to sort out the crisis also lies with council auditors, the Controller of Audit and the Accounts Commission for Scotland, he said.

But Mr Stephen added that Scottish executive ministers have not ruled out stepping in if inspectors find additional evidence which causes disquiet and is not resolved through further action by the council. Ministers would have powers under the act, if additional concerns are raised as a result of the HMI report. Problems may, however, be resolved without government intervention by the council formulating its own action plan, partly as a result of the points for action which will be itemised in the HMI report.

The council has already set out new finance plans and drafted in Michael White, the former well respected director of education in Aberdeenshire, to act as a consultant. John Christie, the Borders education director, was suspended from the council before Christmas.

A source close to the executive said earlier that the government fears comparisons with the tougher autocratic approach to local authorities and education professionals, which is believed in many quarters of the education world to be a hallmark at present of the English system. Scottish education has a long standing reputation for a consensual approach to change and conflict resolution.

The source said: "Ministers are concerned by the shambles in the Borders, but they are scared of any suggestion that they are taking the anglicised approach of sending in a hit squad. They have to find an alternative mechanism to make a difference. The Borders provide an opportunity to try out things."

He added that the national debate on education which schools minister Cathy Jamieson and the First Minister, Jack McConnell, are expected to launch in March, will, among many other things, bring to the fore the issue of how much responsibility is taken for education at local level and how much at national level.

Mr Stephen told members of the education committee that action to date by the executive included regular monitoring of council moves to deal with the crisis and encouragement of HMI to bring forward their planned inspection of Borders education authority. The Education Act of 2000 gave HMI new powers to scrutinise the work of council officers and councillors involved in education to see whether they help or hinder the schools in their charge.

He stressed that the government is not planning to bail out the council by boosting its normal funding. "Diverting central grant to Borders is not an appropriate solution. The executive cannot provide extra grant to local authorities when they overspend or mismanage their resources."

Mr Stephen conceded that school funding from central government is sometimes diverted by local authorities into other council departments. He said: "If we increase the funding for schools there is no absolute guarantee that the money will be spent on education."