Statements from Holyrood candidates

With the by-election looming, we feel that it is important for voters to have all the facts at their disposal in order to make an informed choice when it comes to polling time. In order to do this we contacted all the parliamentary candidates and invited them to send in a statement for our blog and Facebook page. We would like to thank those candidates who took the time to reply and encourage all our visitors to read through the statements below.


Shirley-Anne Somerville, SNP candidate for MSP

Dear Parents and Campaigners of Save Pitcorthie Primary School,

The education of our young people is vital. As a mother of two young girls I understand the significance and importance of your local school; both for your children and for the positive effect on the community at large.

It is for these reasons that I have put the efforts - your efforts - to Save Pitcorthie Primary School at the very centre of my campaign to be elected as the next MSP for Dunfermline. Pitcorthie is a great primary school running at near capacity and there exists no good reason – not on educational grounds or any other valid reason - for the Labour run Fife council to close this school.

I back Pitcorthie Primary School remaining open and so do the people of Dunfermline. Last week I instructed my campaign team to carry out a survey across Dunfermline. From the 6,892 people in the constituency that we contacted on the issue, we found that nearly 90% believe that Labour-run Fife council's school closures programme should be ditched, while only 10% of people in Dunfermline disagree.

I was glad that some of you also had the chance to meet and speak with the Scottish Government Education Secretary Michael Russell, whom I invited over to meet your campaign group.

If elected as the new MSP for Dunfermline, I will seek an urgent meeting with Labour run Fife Council's Executive Director for Education and Learning, and call for the council’s closure plans to be ditched.

My opponent, the Labour candidate, has described the proposal to close Pitcorthie as ‘a real shock’. However, it is vital not to forget that she – together with all the other Labour and Lib Dem Councillors – rejected a proposal from the SNP Council group at the Dunfermline Area Committee in May to put the consultation on hold so an alternative to closure could be considered, but she voted for the consultation to go ahead.

Labour’s plans to close three primary schools in the constituency reveal just how out of touch they are with the needs of young families in Dunfermline, and I believe the SNP's track record on managing the school estate shows that we can be trusted in future.

Let's remember that through the previous Labour council's disastrous experiment with PFI/PPP schools, Fifers will now be paying over £400m for schools that had a capital value of around £100m - and we'll still be paying for them in 20 years' time. By contrast, the SNP administration built two award-winning schools in Dunfermline; Dunfermline High School and Carnegie Primary School, without a penny of PFI debt.

The result of the by-election is vital in order to protect schools and the best interests of children and their families in Dunfermline. If you vote for me I promise to be a champion for Pitcorthie Primary School.

Yours Sincerely
Shirley-Anne Somerville


Cara Hilton Scottish Labour Candidate for MSP

I have, from the outset, stood with the parents of Pitcorthie in opposing any plans to close this school. I will continue to work with parents to ensure that Fife Council either removes the school from the consultation process, or decides that the school should remain open. I hope that we will achieve this.

I would also like to congratulate the Save Pitcorthie Primary Campaign Committee for achieving something rare when it comes to politics - uniting the candidates in the Scottish Parliament by-election! But the future of Pitcorthie is bigger than the by-election. When all the campaign teams have packed up and left Dunfermline, I will still be here. The morning after the result, I will continue with my campaign, working with you the parents, to keep this school open.

Some have questioned my position. For those of you who have worked with me over the past few months, you will know my views and how hard I've worked to make sure that the questions you've been asking get answered.

But let's be frank. I was told that the school building simply couldn't be kept open and safe. I was told that it would need to close in the next couple of years. That view, given to me as an expert opinion, I now believe is simply wrong and can't be backed up.

Schools have become the big issue in this by-election. I'm pleased that they have. Providing the best education for all Fife children is the obligation which rests with us as local councillors. For others to come into our community and question the integrity of those who are fighting for this school is regrettable. We deserve better and you deserve a debate about this school which isn't reduced down to Punch & Judy politics.

I have given a clear commitment: I will fight to keep Pitcorthie open. I do not believe that this school should close. The arguments about why this school must remain open are clear and need no explanation here.
But we also need to understand why Fife Council is asking questions about whether we have the right schools in the right places. The budgets have been slashed by the Scottish Government.

This isn't me saying this because I'm a Labour councillor, or because I'm the Labour candidate in the by-election. Before the last council elections, the SNP in Fife were arguing that schools would need to close as a result of the budget cuts. Now they are saying that no school should close. You have to ask yourself why they've changed their mind. Given that the council needs to cut £100 million by 2017, it is irresponsible for the SNP to start playing politics like this. You deserve better.

As a local mum, I know how important our schools are. I know how attached we can become to our school. Pitcorthie Primary is an amazing school. It's popular and it is one of the best in Fife. I will fight to keep the school open - you have my promise on that. But don't let people suddenly come along and claim that they're on your side. Before they had even heard of Pitcorthie, I was working with you. When they leave, I'll still be at your side, campaigning alongside you to keep this school open.


Susan Leslie, Liberal Democrats candidate for MSP

It is no surprise that proposals which could see Pitcorthie and other local primary schools shut their doors have proved controversial. Decisions of this magnitude are always difficult.

It is important that we work to ensure that our education system uses resources as effectively as possible. But what this absolutely does not mean is that the wishes and needs of parents and pupils can be ignored when it comes to school closures.

Parents trust teachers with their children during the school day. As a former Headteacher this was always something that I felt keenly. The strong attachment that people feel for their local schools is wholly understandable.

As chair of the council's education scrutiny committee, I have a formal role to play in the consultation on the future of Pitcorthie and the other local schools. I will be responsible for examining the evidence after it has been collected and making a recommendations to the Executive for the formal decision.

My position on the scrutiny committee means that I cannot pre-judge the consultation. But I will say that I think that the case for closure has not yet been made. Parents have made strong arguments for Pitcorthie remaining open.

I am not in the habit of making empty promises. It would be irresponsible of me to pledge something that I know I cannot deliver. But when I met with parents from the Save Pitcorthie Primary campaign, the promise I made was that there is no question of the views of parents and communities being swept under the carpet. I stand by that promise.

Your voices will be heard at every stage of this process. I will ensure that you have the chance to speak to councillors on the scrutiny committee and make the case for your school remaining open.


Zara Kitson, Green candidate for MSP

I am fully behind the fight to save Pitcorthie Primary School. Communities should never be left without their own school. Greens are the strongest voice for keeping services local, against the growing trend toward centralisation. Education, and the value of community are far too important to be crassly boiled down to pounds and pence, and bricks and mortar. We are faced with cuts handed down by Westminster, being further compounded at Holyrood. I will push for more local revenue raising powers, providing pragmatic solutions that make cuts to services less likely. I will also champion more participatory budgeting processes, putting people at the helm of where monies should be spent, and saved.


James Reekie, Scottish Conservitive Candidate for MSP

I am writing to offer my support to the Save Pitcorthie Primary School campaign. A school is not just a building. It is the teachers.pupils and the wider community that makes it into a friendly open space. Although there has been much discussion in the press and elsewhere concerning the financial implications of the decision to close the school, I fear that many other considerations have not been properly taken into account.

Firstly, the high occupancy rate of the school and the increase in pupil numbers serves to highlight how highly Pitcorthie is regarded in the community. Coupled with positive HMIE reports this paints a picture of a school which is locally embedded and offering an outstanding education for children.

As your campaign has rightly pointed out, Fife council themselves have conceded that the school doesn't meet the guidelines for closure. I will be urging the council to look again at the proposals and take into account not only financial considerations, but the immaterial losses to the people of Pitcorthie. Even in terms of the financial implications of closure, we can see that the council have estimated a 2.9 million cost, which does not offer good value for money for tax payers.

It simply does not make sense to close down a school which offers such a high standard of education to our young people and which plays such a central role in the local community. If there is anything I or any of my colleagues can do to support you in the near future please do not hesitate to contact us.

I am committed to standing beside you all against the closure of your communities school.

yours sincerely,

James Reekie.
Scottish Conservatives by-election candidate.