A parents group that was seeking to take legal action against council education cuts has confirmed that its request for a judicial review has failed.
Glasgow City Parents Group launched the action in response to a range of spending reductions, including plans to slash the number of teachers working in the city’s schools.
At the heart of the attempts was the belief that the council had not fully complied with its legal duties while planning cuts to teacher numbers, although the council always maintained that an equality impact assessment had been “attached to the budget proposal documents” and that a further review had been carried out in June 2024.
Parents were told by their legal team that the action failed due a minimal prospect of success and the amount of time that had elapsed between the council’s decision being made and the legal challenge being initiated.
In a statement released today, GCPG announced “with heavy hearts” that its action had been unsuccessful. They added that they are “deeply disappointed” that they had not been given the chance to “present our case at a full hearing, where we believe we could show that GCC enacted these cuts without adequate transparency or adherence to due process.”
They also hit out at “council officials and councillors” who, they claim, had spent “nearly a year” presenting stakeholders with “a false sense of influence, maintaining that decisions were still under consideration when, in fact, they had been finalised.”
They added: “While Glasgow City Council often speaks to the importance of children’s rights, this case highlights that such principles seem to apply only when they are free of financial implications.”
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The statement also offers an apology to teachers and families who had “placed their trust” in the group, and advises that the group intends to donate remaining crowdsourced funds to charity once its legal costs are met. The group had previously described their actions as “David v Goliath” and had been financially supported by a number of teaching union local branches.
Leanne McGuire, Chairperson of Glasgow City Parents Group, shares, “Seeing this through was the reason I chose to continue in my role as chair, despite my own child having left school. This cause was too important to walk away from. As I prepare to pass the baton, I hope that GCPG continues to thrive and remain a voice for Glasgow’s parents, carers, and pupils. Leading this group over the past six years has been a privilege, and I am so proud of all we’ve accomplished together. I trust that GCPG will continue this work and stand up for the rights and wellbeing of Glasgow’s children.”
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “We welcome the court’s decision to refuse permission for the challenge to proceed on the basis that it had no prospects of success.
“For clarity, the petition was refused permission to proceed for two reasons.
“The first reason was that the court found the petition had no prospects of success if it was allowed to go further.
“The second reason was that the challenge was taken out of time.
“The court found that there was no basis to extend the time.
“That is because the petitioners ought to have been aware of the decision they wished to challenge in February 2024.
“Public funds – that could have been spent on council services – have been used to challenge the petition and the normal process is to pursue the defeated party in these cases to recoup our expenses.
“Our legal team will continue to liaise with their lawyers.”
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