A Scottish Government minister has confirmed that four primary schools in Moray will receive a promised £17million in refurbishments.
Learning minister Alasdair Allan confirmed on Friday that £7million will be allocated to Moray Council from the Scottish Futures Trust while the remaining funding will come from the Scottish Government.
The funding caused controversy in the council chamber last month with several communities whose schools are under threat of closure insisting that it flew in the face of council assertions that no decisions had been made over the future of any schools in the region.
Councillors will discuss the contents of a Caledonian Economics consultancy report on the future of Moray’s school estate in November.
Alasdair Allan confirmed that the Moray schools – St Gerardine’s, Millbank, Seafield and Applegrove – will receive part of a £100million funding package announced in June.
He said: “The new facilities being built are fantastic environments for young people to learn in and often provide amenities for the wider community that will be enjoyed by generations to come.
“The projects are also a welcome boost to the local economy creating apprenticeship opportunities for young people and construction jobs across the country.”
The Moray funding will see £4.8million invested in Seafield while another £5million will go to Applegrove.
St Gerardine’s will have improvements costing £4.2million while Millbank’s improvements will cost £3.2million.
Councillors were also told last month that there was the possibility of further Scottish Government funding in November, with a replacement for Lossiemouth High School the most likely recipient.
This was confirmed by Finance Secretary John Swinney in his budget statement on Friday, which included provision for a further £230million with an announcement on where that would be allocated expected next month.