BUILDING the Garnock Community Campus at its current site was one of the worst decisions made by North Ayrshire Council, according to a local elected member.

Councillor for Kilbirnie and Beith John Bell blasted the location for being difficult to get to, especially for pupils travelling from Beith in the winter months.

The Cabinet Member for Education was responding to Councillor Donald L Reid at the Meeting of the Council on Wednesday, September 19 when he made the comments.

Donald Reid, councillor for Kilbirnie and Beith, highlighted that private travel arrangements for pupils travelling from Beith costs £50 a month.

He added: “This is very expensive especially if two or more pupils travel from the same family. Beith, being the highest up town in North Ayrshire tends to suffer disproportionately inclement weather, especially driving snow in winter.”

Councillor Reid also asked the Cabinet Member for Education about drying and changing facilities for pupils who regularly walk to and from the school. He then asked if a free bus facility for the regular walkers had been considered.

Referring to “the implications” of “the Longbar site choice”, Councillor Bell said: “With the move the council transferred the cost of transport to the parents. In my opinion this was one the worst decisions made by North Ayrshire Council. Pupils from both Kilbirnie and Beith face long hazardous winter journeys to the new school which could have been avoided had one of the other sites been chosen.”

During the meeting, it was revealed that it was anticipated that around 50-60 children from the Beith area would walk to the Garnock Campus on a daily basis.

Councillor Bell said that while drying facilities are not provided in the school, spare uniforms are given if pupils arrive with wet clothes. He also said that the SPT provide school bus services on a contracted basis but only to pupils that would require to walk three or more miles.

He added: “The reality is local families have arranged private hire buses from the towns at significant expense.

“Many more pupils are now driven to the campus than ever before and the few service buses that head to the town centre are swamped on rainy days with other commuters complaining that the crowding at bus stops and the danger of accidents.”

Councillor Reid concluded: “I just think it’s very important that this is kept under review because Beith does suffer disproportionately bad weather and my heart goes out to some of those kids walking that road in the winter.”