Extension of Falkirk area schools could be delayed because of Brexit and Covid

dailyrecord.co.uk:

High inflation caused by Covid-19 and Brexit, along with a reduced capital budget raised fears that two ongoing projects to extend Falkirk district primary schools might be delayed.

As councillors met to agree this year’s capital budget, they were told there was not enough money to cope with spiralling costs for extensions to Kinnaird Primary in Larbert and Maddiston Primary, both of which are over-capacity.

But when members of the Labour group sought reassurances that work would still go ahead, they were told that everything possible would be done to make it happen.Director of children’s services Robert Naylor told councillors that he has been in discussions to find ways to make sure the work could still happen.Falkirk Live brings you the latest headlines from Falkirk and beyond.But did you know all the ways you can stay informed with us?We share live news and exclusive scoops every day so make sure you're following us so we can keep you informed on all things Falkirk!At the meeting, he said: “There has been work ongoing for some years to expand the capacity of Kinnaird Primary School and we expect that we’ll have a return of a tender at the end of this month.“There has been significant inflation in the construction industry with issues around Brexit and so on and the allocated budget for Kinnaird and Maddiston meant that it would be insufficient to accept tenders.“Having said that I have discussed this with Malcolm Bennie (director of place) and we have discussed taking another look at the capital programme and perhaps a re prioritisation.”Overall, councillors were told that a lack of cash combined with delays on several projects over the last few years has meant this year’s capital budget had to be scaled back to