Menzieshill High - time to think ahead

Councillor Jimmy Black reflects on the decision to close Menzieshill High.

 

The debate surrounding the closure of Menzieshill High was generally mature and well argued on both sides. Perhaps the Scottish Government will overturn our decision, but I doubt it. On educational and economic grounds the decision made sense. But some of the points made by protesters made sense too.

We have had local community planning partnerships for a few years now. I would be interested to know if and when the Lochee LCPP debated the demolition of the multis and other housing, the closure and merger of schools, the town centre regeneration in Lochee High Street and the creation of the new community facility, all as part of a single, coherent plan for the area. Perhaps the decision to redevelop Harris Academy should have been part of those deliberations.

We also have a Dundee Partnership. Does the future shape of Dundee's schools and their relationship to local shops and businesses ever feature on the Partnership agenda? I hope the answer is yes, but as we move forwards we need to pay more attention to the unintended consequences of the decisions we take.

Normal practice is to demolish empty schools swiftly to avoid security costs, vandalism and fires. If the Menzieshill community wants to retain any part of the building, now is the time to start putting together projects, looking for funding and so on. There is a pool, playing fields, other facilities. I am not the local councillor and I don't know what is feasible or practical there, but I do believe in the Scottish Government's community empowerment agenda and Dundee has already begun transferring redundant council assets to the community.

Perhaps the best use would be small workshops for new businesses; or maybe new council housing, or allotments, or an urban farm. Now is the time for local people to see the potential in that site and start making plans.

If the Rev Mallinson can harness the energies unleashed in the Save Menzieshill High campaign to help create something new on the site which creates jobs and tackles poverty, then something good will have come of all this. Perhaps the young pupil who spoke so eloquently at the council about his school and his community could get involved.

Final thought... Harris Academy is an excellent school. I believe those who are worried by the new arrangements will soon be reassured by the warm welcome they will have. We will be working hard to make sure that happens.

Extent of poverty spelt out at Fairness Commission

Dundee's Fairness Commission had its second meeting on 26 May 2015; this session was to establish the facts and figures surrounding poverty in Dundee and Scotland.
John McKendrick of Strathclyde told us that only Glasgow had more poverty than Dundee. John Dickie of the Child Poverty Action Group said that child poverty has been increasing steeply since 2011, and that low wages meant being in work was no guarantee of an escape from poverty. Peter Allan of Dundee City Council outlined the work which has already been done, following the Fairness Strategy published in 2012 (which contains detailed statistics about poverty in Dundee).
The meeting heard some practical ideas about what could be done in our city to make things better. One Commissioner suggested that we should do an audit of all the money we spend on poverty related projects, from advice to employability and everything else ... and work out whether we are spending that money in the most effective way.
Another called for Dundee to declare itself a Living Wage City, and there was general support for that.
Commissioner Erik Cramb will be blogging on this meeting, as will others; there will be a website soon which will carry the presentations; meantime you can see interviews with John Dickie and John Mckendrick on YouTube here ... http://youtu.be/y8bkfYKFOq4

Frank's Law

The council meeting on 9 March 2015 agreed to support a request to Government to consider extending free personal care to people under 65, with dementia. Fair enough. If you are unable to support yourself through illness or disability, your age should not matter. I hope the Government will find a way to introduce Frank's Law, not just for people with dementia, but for everyone who requires assistance.

This brings us to the confusing part. The social work department and the NHS both provide care in various forms, and I sometimes struggle to know the difference between the services provided by each. In her moving speech to Councillors, Frank's Law campaigner Amanda Kopel said her family had initially received less support than required, possibly because "one hand didn't know what the other was doing".

My question to the Social work Department was ... will the integration of health and social care improve things? The answer from a senior officer was, basically, yes. That's good news; Alex Neil when Cabinet Secretary banged heads together and passed a legislation saying councils and the NHS simply had to work together. 

Sometimes it takes a law to make public bodies change their practice. I wish Amanda Kopel well in her campaign, and I hope Ministers will find a way of making it happen. The current UK government's austerity agenda will not make this easy, but there's an election soon.

The V&A - looking back, then forward

The Courier series on the transformational effect of buildings such as the Guggenheim was inspired; it strengthens confidence in the V&A project which has huge economic and cultural potential for our city.

However, a series of stories across the local national press about the secrecy surrounding the increasing cost of the project have not been helpful. As an NUJ member I am not prepared to blame the journalists for that.

One of the things I hope the independent enquiry will look into is the way the story of increasing costs was handled. As Professor Beatriz Plaza of the University of the Basque Country points out in this morning's Courier, honesty over budgets is vital to gain public trust. In Bilbao, they set a realistic budget of $100 million and stuck to it.

So our enquiry needs to look at the original budget and whether it was ever remotely realistic for a building of this type. It needs to look at the way the people who decided on the Kengo Kuma building assessed the likely cost of constructing it. For me, everything begins there.

We were warned at the time that the building could not be constructed for £45 million. Well done Jack Searle and Dundee Civic Trust who expressed doubts in 2010 about the construction costs of the Kuma design (see link below).

We have been promised that the enquiry will have the freedom to look at anything it considers relevant. Councillors will also have the opportunity to give their views to the enquiry. That's good; let's do this in an open, constructive spirit for the good of our city. And then let's look forward and deliver this project on time and on the (new) budget.

Story re Dundee Civic Trust and the V&A ... http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/dundee-civic-trust-recommends-half-of-v-a-designs-be-rejected-1.26847


 

Should we close Menzieshill High?

Dundee's Education Department has proposed the closure of Menzieshill High School, and parents and the community are being consulted via meetings and online surveys. As councillors we will take our decisions when the consultation responses come in.

I've been at two 'official' meetings and one protest meeting, listened to parents' arguments for keeping the school open, tried to respond to those who simply cannot understand why the council would close such a popular school.

There are some debates about practical matters like transport which I think the Council can deal with. The bigger picture is about the quality of education.

In the US there is a strong lobby for smaller schools; people think there is less pupil violence and higher levels of achievement if schools are small. On the other hand, Dundee's Education Department believes Menzieshill pupils will achieve more in the new, bigger school.

I try not to just accept what council officials tell me, so I went looking for independent research and found a 2002 report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/SPP01/SPP01.pdf).

115 pages later, I discovered there is very little evidence to suggest that big schools are better than small schools, or that small schools are better than big schools. It does seem fairly clear that bigger schools are more cost effective and can offer a wider range of subjects.

Then I looked up Parentzone (http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone/) and checked how well the pupils in Menzieshill do in exams, compared to Harris. Generally Harris is above the Scottish average, sometimes well above. Menzieshill is generally below the average.

I believe this is because Harris Academy is not truly a local school. Harris has a role of 940, and of those 490 live outside the Harris catchment. My guess is that parents with high aspirations for their children are bypassing their local schools and sending their children to Harris. To put it bluntly, Harris has higher numbers of clever kids. Already 150 pupils from the Menzieshill catchment choose to go to Harris.

So what would it mean to close Menzieshill? Harris would be full of children from its new catchment area ... Lochee, Menzieshill, West End, parts of Coldside and the city centre. There would be very little room for pupils from other parts of the city. Harris would be a real, local school.

Menzieshill pupils would have the chance to be educated in a state of the art building with better facilities (although Harris sports pitches are at a distance from the school, it will have a brand new pool, dance studios, music rooms and a recording studio, among other excellent features).

In future, pupils living in the catchment areas of Baldragon, Craigie High and Braeview would be much more likely to send their children to their local school, and those schools would benefit from having a more balanced intake. Plus the Council would eventually save nearly £2 million a year and avoid the inevitable costs of upgrading an old school.

So everyone wins? Well, maybe. It's clear that there is strong opposition from a significant portion of Menzieshill parents, and some pupils. I have very little idea what the Harris parents think because very few turned up to the consultation meeting. I'd be interested to know what the Harris pupils think about it all. Some Rosebank parents do not want to see families split between Morgan and Harris, and we're working on that.

No decisions can be taken until the consultation is over, and I strongly urge people to send in their views. The consultation paper is at http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/content/closure-menzieshill-high-school and the email address to use is education@dundeecity.gov.uk.

Personally I am beginning to think that closure is the best option, because the pupils in Menzieshill and Lochee will have better opportunities to learn and thrive in a brand new building with a long tradition of excellence. But I haven't made up my mind yet, and the debate continues.

Thanks for supporting me ... now support Chris

A wee word of thanks to the hundreds of people who voted for me to fight Dundee West for the SNP. As announced today, Chris Law will be our candidate. Chris burst on the scene with his Spirit of Independence Campaign and he has provided the excitement new members were seeking.

We now have to get Chris elected; he has a strong body of support behind him and that should now translate into a big team for leafleting, doorknocking and social media too. Good luck Chris; time Dundee West had an SNP MP.

What now for me? The prospect of a normal life, I guess, and that doesn't sound so bad. And I still have plenty of work to do in Coldside. That's what I'll be concentrating on for the next two years.

£80 million worth of lessons to be learned

To say the £80 million cost of the V&A came as something of a shock would be an understatement. Firm, confident assurances from a battery of expert advisers were clearly enough to dull our critical faculties over the past few years.

I am glad to say the mysteries have now been revealed and we all have a much better idea of what this project will cost and what it will bring to the city. Personally I wish the process had been different, but we are where we are.

In short, we now have a commitment to a Project Board including elected members from administration and opposition, an assurance that the Board will have independent professional advice, an independent inquiry into how 45 million turned into 80 million, and clarity on the respective roles of the Council's Project Board and Dundee Design Ltd.

There is roughly 70 million, perhaps 74 million pounds of external investment in Dundee for a council stake of 6.5 million and the prospect of a building which will transform the Waterfront and help us keep talented designers here in Dundee creating jobs. The underestimate is embarrassing but we can live with that, as long as we deliver this project for Dundee.

We also have more information about the contractor and previous blacklisting. To his credit, Cllr McReady produced some forensic questioning which made it clear that BAM Scotland, the council's preferred contractor. is part of the same legal entity as BAM construction UK. The UK outfit had stopped blacklisting in 1998. While representatives of the Scottish arm of BAM were adamant that they were a fair company who had never blacklisted in Scotland, it was a useful clarification.

Cllr McReady also pointed out that another member of the BAM Group had blacklisted much more recently. Given the assurances from our officers, from the BAM representatives present and the construction jobs which this project will bring to Dundee, there was little choice but to press on. I also believe the assurances from the BAM representatives present in the Chamber were credible. Nonetheless. if there is any hint that illegal practices such as blacklisting are being used in connection with any council contract, I hope workers and trades unions will come forward.

Finally, I hope the independent inquiry into the budget problems will go beyond technical questions and into the realm of public affairs. If anyone had told us back in 2007 that the V&A would cost £80 million; that the council would contribute at least £6.5 million; that there would be running costs to the council of roughly half a million a year in cash and kind; and that it could take until 2018 to build, would we have said yes?

I'd like to think we'd have had that level of ambition. But I'm not 100% sure.

Experience is the Key

Five SNP activists made their pitch to be the party's candidate in Dundee West to a crowded hustings (on Sunday 18 January). I was one of them.  In short, I said, "SNP can win Dundee West. My track record gives me the best chance". Here's more ...

* I have already been elected twice in Dundee West, as councillor for Coldside, where I live. I was raised in Coupar Angus, so I am very familiar with places like Muirhead, Birkhill, Liff, Fowlis and the Sidlaws.

* As a former Housing Convener in Dundee I can point to real achievements and change. I tackled fuel poverty in Hilltown and Lochee by insulating houses and putting in new heating systems; and stopped the unnecessary demolition of hundreds of homes.

* I persuaded the Council not to evict tenants who were struggling with their "bedroom tax". That policy was taken up by the SNP nationally and promoted by Nicola Sturgeon.

* Experience in housing and welfare rights with leading agencies such as Shelter and Citizens Advice Scotland has been useful in my job as a local councillor, helping solve problems for people.

* I was one of those behind the plan for a new primary school in Coldside.

* Training in radio journalism means I can communicate well - a vital skill for an MP. My name and picture have appeared in the local press many times over the past eight years. I handled press for the Yes Campaign in Dundee and performed well on TV and radio.

Standing up for people affected by Coalition welfare reforms is a big priority. I also want to help the highly educated, skilled people coming out of Dundee's Universities to set up businesses and create employment locally.

There are five good candidates for the SNP in Dundee West, and any one of them could do the job well. I believe my experience and track record can persuade traditional Labour supporters to vote SNP.

Winning the largest number of seats for the SNP will help us win the maximum powers for Holyrood. That will take us further down the democratic road to independence. I believe I can win Dundee West, if you select me.

Yours for Scotland

Jimmy Black

Homelessness and Eagles Wings

I was disappointed to read comment today (Thursday 15 January) from the Eagles Wings charity about Dundee's falling homelessness figures. Their "suspicion" is unjustified.  Homelessness is falling across Scotland as a result of a Scottish Government initiative, enthusiastically supported by Dundee City Council.

Instead of waiting until people become homeless before providing help and assistance, we are getting in early. We try and sort out disputes between tenants and landlords. We help people apply for council or housing association houses. Our Homefinder project will assist people to find a privately rented flat with a responsible landlord.

Sometimes linking people up with the right medical or social work support can help prevent homelessness. By doing this we prevent many people reaching crisis point and losing their homes. This national strategy is called Housing Options.

I chair the national Homelessness Prevention Strategy Group, which brings together the Scottish Government, local authorities and voluntary organisations such as Shelter. The Group oversees the Housing Options strategy across Scotland and drives forward change and improvement.

I'm keen to meet Eagles Wings, so I will be in touch shortly. Like them, I am concerned that some people are not finding their way to the homelessness services and I want to know more about that. If anyone is not getting the service they should, I want to know about that too. Meantime, let's celebrate the fact that fewer people are going through the misery of homelessness because we are helping them before the crisis strikes.

Standing for Parliament?

I am hoping to be selected to run as the SNP's candidate for Dundee West in the General Election. Here is my pitch to the members, which will be sent out directly to every SNP member in the constituency who is eligible to vote.

Councillor Jimmy Black

Well Placed to Win

Politicians have to get things done. As Dundee's Housing Convener, I led big changes. We insulated 1,000 council flats in Dundee West and put in heating that was cheap to run. We made those flats warm and comfortable. Labour would have demolished them.

I demanded to know why it took three months to re-let council houses when tenants left. The system was inefficient, and we changed it. We built brand new houses too, the first for decades.
When the Tories imposed the bedroom tax, I was advised to evict non-payers. I refused, and ruled that tenants who tried hard to pay should stay in their homes. The Scottish Government then called on all councils to follow our policy.

Politicians need to stand up for the people they serve. In Westminster, I would point out the flaws in Tory welfare reforms. They don't work and they leave people struggling to survive. Benefit sanctions are cruel and unnecessary and they have to stop.

I have been at the House of Commons before … as a lobbyist for Shelter. My first job was in welfare rights, back in 1982 in Dundee's Hilltown. Other jobs have been freelance radio reporter for BBC, campaigner for the Citizens Advice Bureau and assistant to MSPs Nigel Don and Shona Robison, and Stewart Hosie MP.

I am in the National Union of Journalists, and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Born in Caithness, raised in Coupar Angus, 23 years living in Dundee and eight years a councillor in Dundee West.

Many in Dundee worked hard for a YES vote. I was one of them, handling media, running the website, organising events. There were thousands of leaflets and newspapers to deliver, and I played my part. I was bitterly disappointed when we lost, but proud of Dundee and of the huge vote we got out for YES. I won't give up.

Given my track record as a well known, hard working politician in Dundee, I believe I am well placed to win Dundee West from Labour. I would relish that chance.

Warm homes at Lawton Farm, Coldside

Business coming up at next week's Council Committees

Tenants on the Lawton Farm estate (on the slopes of the Law) will be much warmer and easier to heat once a new programme of insulation gets underway. Next Monday's Housing Committee will vote on a £142,000 proposal to reclad 20 homes. Experience so far is that heating bills are slashed after the insulation is fitted. It's the best way to tackle fuel poverty, and it cuts carbon use and pollution too.

This is part of a programme which will insulate 596 houses in total this year, paid for largely by Scottish Government grants, and money from Scottish and Southern Energy under the ECO scheme. The SNP is determined to help tenants cut their fuel bills and we will ensure this gets through Committee on Monday night.

Other business at Committees includes grants for local groups under the Community Regeneration Fund. This is run by local people who make recommendations to the Council, and on Monday the Highwayman Management Group is asking for funds to pay a tutor in Digital Photography for the young people they work with.

Secondary school pupils from Coldside may also benefit from grants awarded to The Corner project. The Corner plans a residential course for nine young people from Coldside which will focus on skills development, personal development, teamwork and relationship building.

There is still around £50,000 available in the Coldside Community Regeneration Fund. There's still time to work up an application before the end of the year, and you can find out more at http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/communities/commregforums . You can also see the Council Report on this at http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/reports/agendas/p&r120115.pdf (look at page 29)

If you want to talk about this or anything else, please ring me on 01382 433742.