POLICE have refused to reinvestigate alleged irregularities in the development of four North Ayrshire schools.

North Ayrshire Council had asked the police to carry out “new, full and thorough investigation” into the tendering process to build four new schools.

But the police have now formally ruled this out.

However, the issue is set to rumble on, as campaigner and former MSP Campbell Martin has began work on the follow up to ‘The Only Game in Town’, the documentary that brought allegations to light last year.

And he has warned that this will include “further shocking revelations about the procurement of North Ayrshire Council’s PPP contract and the ongoing cover-up of what actually happened”.

The original film examined an alleged lack of competition legally required in order to procure a contract for the building and maintenance of Stanley Primary, Greenwood Academy, St Matthew’s Academy and Arran High, under a Public Private Partnership model.

According to the film, North Ayrshire Council claimed a second bid had provided genuine competition for its £380m contract, despite paperwork from the council’s own advisors showing the bid had failed the very first Key Stage Review of the bidding process.

Elsewhere in the documentary, two former senior detectives cast doubt on claims by the then Strathclyde Police that it had carried out an investigation into the Council’s PPP procurement process back in 2006.

Now police have formally told the council that they will not be reopening the investigation.

Campbell Martin told the Herald: “The decision by Police Scotland is disappointing but not surprising.

“People can watch The Only Game In Town and decide for themselves whether or not there are issues that should have been investigated.

“The fact Strathclyde Police and the Crown Office found no evidence of criminality in 2006 is completely incredible. That decision is just one of the reasons a new and full investigation should have been carried out.

“I recently had a meeting with a senior officer from the Police Scotland Economic Crime Unit, at which I raised a number of issues highlighted in The Only Game In Town.

“The officer made clear from the start that he was not prepared to carry out a new investigation, and he stuck firmly to the line that an investigation had taken place back in 2006 and he agreed with the conclusion that there was no evidence of criminality. I pointed out that The Only Game In Town has been watched by over 12,000 people, the vast majority of whom disagree with him.

“One of the worrying things about this decision by the police is that, in reaching their position, they have taken direction from the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service. In my opinion, the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service was part of the original cover-up and is one of the organisations Police Scotland should be investigating.

“Coincidentally, in the week that Police Scotland wrote to North Ayrshire Council confirming they would not carry out a new investigation, MacAulay Gibson Productions began filming the follow-up documentary to The Only Game In Town. The new film will contain further shocking revelations about the procurement of North Ayrshire Council’s PPP contract and the ongoing cover-up of what actually happened.”

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “Police Scotland has confirmed that no further action will be taken after carrying out their latest investigation into the allegations made in the documentary ‘The Only Game in Town’.

“Previous investigations have all come to the same conclusion so we are not surprised by the latest outcome. We hope everyone can now move on.”