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@ HebrideanUltraTerfHecate
2025-02-22 18:12:15
https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-quango-nets-250k-taxpayer-34729513
The Scottish Government has been blasted for funding a quango which hasn't done any work in the last four years. Rivals claimed it was another sign of wasting taxpayer cash, with the bloated public sector already costing billions every year to run.
A total of £250,000 of public cash has went to the Schools Closure Review Panels (SCRP) which looks at plans to shut educational establishments throughout Scotland. But the public body hasn't been utilised since 2021 when it ruled that a couple of schools shouldn't be closed.
Its annual report shows it spent £83,306 in 2023/24 despite not undertaking any work in the financial year, with this costs a rise of 6% on the previous years, This included a 17% increase in fees paid to its ten member.
In the document, convener Colin Morrison wrote: "While there were no school closure decisions for review… I am confident we have a highly skilled team in place to meet the task of review should that arise." The SCRP was established in 2015 and took over from civil servants who previously had to check that councils had properly consulted local communities when it came to closing schools.