Parents in East Dunbartonshire have accused the local authority of ‘failing’ school children in Milngavie Primary School, and urgent repair is need to protect their health.

Furious members of the Milngavie Primary Parent Council have revealed the state of the school through a series of pictures on social media, and said East Dunbartonshire can no longer neglect the building.

The parents group posted the pictures on X, formerly known as Twitter, this morning accompanied by a lengthy statement directed at the council.

The pictures show mould in the primary toilets alongside damaged walls, facilities, and leaking ceilings. The post also claims that children have been hurt due to the radiator temperatures in the classrooms and some are getting wet from leaks while sitting at their desks.

(Image: Milngavie Primary Parent Council)

The post said: “We want action to repair Milngavie Primary now.

“Our school has been neglected by East Dunbartonshire Council for years and the current condition of the school poses a risk to the health and safety of pupils and staff. There is mould in the school, mushrooms growing in the toilets and holes in the roof.

“Children come home every day smelling damp, some have burnt their legs on radiators because they are so hot and other have got wet while sitting at their desks from water coming in through the ceiling.

“Our children deserve to learn in an environment that lets them thrive, not one that contains damp and mould. The school is at the heart of Milngavie and very important to the community. The repair work at the school needs to be carried out now. The council is failing our children by delaying the repairs.

“Staff at the school are having to work in very challenging conditions and we want to thank them for the job they are doing.”

Funghi growing in the bathroomsFungi growing in the bathrooms (Image: Supplied)

East Dunbartonshire Council’s Chief Executive, Ann Davie has said that temporary work will be carried out on the building as soon as possible but said council budget restrictions combined with rising costs are making a permanent solution difficult.

A refurbishment project for the primary has now been put on hold due to the costs of it now “greatly exceeding” the initial budget.

The council says it can no longer afford to go ahead with the project until the Council’s revenue budget can support the high level of additional borrowing.

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Ann Davie, Chief Executive, East Dunbartonshire Council said, “Milngavie Primary School refurbishment project progressed to the pre-construction phase with a full costing exercise and revised tendered costs completed and reported to Council on Wednesday 21 August.

“Both UK inflation and global construction industry costs have increased substantially in recent years and the updated cost for the project, including costs of borrowing, have now greatly exceeded the initial estimate. This combined with the ongoing challenging financial situation that local government is facing, means it is not affordable at this time to progress to the construction phase.

“The project will now be paused - as decided at Council - until such times as either the Council’s revenue budget can support the high level of additional borrowing, or the capital settlement is increased to a level that would support the inclusion of the project within our capital programme.

(Image: Milngavie Primary Parent Council)

“In the meantime, officers have been working through an agreed list of temporary cost-effective remedial works and this list is currently being reviewed with the intention of undertaking more permanent repairs until such times as the full refurbishment project can be progressed. These works include repairs to the roof on both the upper and lower school buildings.

“Despite significant efforts over the first half of the year to repair the roofs, each building continues to experience localised water ingress during periods of heavy rainfall. Additional surveys are being carried out to identify how this can be further prevented, and officers are also assessing options and costs for the replacement of both roofs which will be reported to Council as soon as possible.”

In response to Ms Davie's reasons for the state of Milngavie Primary school, the parent council has said the delays are unacceptable.

Karen Reid, chair of the Milngavie Primary School Parent Council, added: "East Dunbartonshire Council has held off on essential works needed at the school because of its refurbishment plans. To now have these works delayed indefinitely is unacceptable. The council must take immediate action to repair the school.

"The current condition of the school poses a health and safety risk to pupils. There is mould in the school, mushrooms are growing in the toilets and there are holes in the roofs.

"The council has said cost is the reason for delaying the repairs and, while we appreciate costs have risen, there is a clear requirement for immediate action to carry out essential works at the school to ensure it is returned to a safe, healthy and secure environment for the children and teachers alike.

"The council is failing our children by delaying these works and if they cannot proceed then the Scottish Government must step in and fund the urgent repairs.”