Councillors clash following latest Ardrossan Campus delay

Last month, North Ayrshire Council confirmed that the new school will not be constructed and operational until the latter half of 2027.

It was the second significant delay for the campus, which was initially set for opening in 2025.

Speaking on the delay, Councillor Tony Gurney, of the leading SNP party, looked to pass blame to the former Labour administration - who previously led the authority - for setting the project back.

He said: “This SNP project to finally provide the much needed up to date facilities for Ardrossan’s young people follows the failure of the previous attempt to build the school. 

“The previous proposals were blocked by the Labour group simply because they were made by the last SNP administration. 

“During their time in office the Labour administration then made no progress in providing the much needed new school. This was only progressed by this new SNP administration. 

“For the current project, a robust site selection process was undertaken with a number of locations being considered and after thorough evaluation, the Ardrossan Coastal Quarter site was identified as the best option. 

“This allows excellent access both for pupils and the wider community who can access the new swimming pool, gym, and library.”

However, North Ayrshire Labour leader Joe Cullinane quickly hit back at the claims, accusing Cllr Gurney of "revising history".

He said the cause of delays started more than a decade ago, when the SNP councillor put forward plans to merge Ardrossan and Auchenharvie academies.

Cllr Cullinane said: “Ardrossan Academy should have been replaced in 2012 but Councillor Gurney wanted to merge the school with Auchenharvie Academy.

"When the merger was met with widespread backlash across the whole of the Three Towns, Councillor Gurney was then sacked as the cabinet member for education by the then SNP council leader, Willie Gibson, after making condescending comments about the parents who were campaigning against the merger.

“In contrast, it was myself and John Bell who met John Swinney, now First Minister but then education secretary, in 2018 and secured Scottish Government funding towards the projects.

"Without the Labour administration securing this funding, the current project wouldn’t just be delayed it would likely to be cancelled altogether."

The local Labour leader then called on the administration to reflect on the "abject failure across the board".

He added: “These are the facts. Once again Councillor Gurney has been found trying to revise history.

"He, and he alone, is the reason that kids in Ardrossan are being taught in the school with the worst condition rating in North Ayrshire.

"After two and a half years of doing absolutely nothing to improve North Ayrshire and its communities, its maybe time Councillor Gurney and the whole of the SNP administration reflected on their abject failure across the board, including pupils seeing out their entire secondary school education in an Ardrossan Academy building that is not for purpose.”