WATCH: Faulty Highland schools builder will build future schools
Morrison Construction "will still be a big player in building our schools"
Last updated 2nd Feb 2018
Highland Council has confirmed that the contractor, which built several faulty Highland schools, "will still be a big player" in building more new schools in the future.
There are ongoing issues at the unopened and delayed Wick Campus, as well as disruption at Noss Primary - both in Caithness - and the new Inverness Royal Academy in the Highland capital.
All of the new facilities have been built by Morrison Construction.
MFR News asked the local authority whether it has lost faith in the builders.
But the local authority's leader Margaret Davidson is blaming hub North Scotland which coordinated the new developments.
She told MFR News: "Some of that's been failing. Morrison Construction is doing their level best to meet requirements, and I'm confident that in the future they will still be a big player in building our schools."
We can't tell you very much about what Margaret Davidson's thoughts are on the issue of these troubled new schools, because our interview with the councillor was stopped by a council official.
Morrison Construction continues to tell us that no one is available for interview, and hub North Scotland continues to ignore our interview requests.
The Scottish Government in part directly funds new school projects, so we asked the Scottish Government's Economy Secretary Keith Brown about the collection of calamities the new schools have experienced.
The minister told us: "We do contribute the money, but the projects themselves are taken forward by the council.
"The council are responsible for those schools.
"Of course we have an interest, especially with us providing the money for that, so we're happy to have that discussion with Highland Council, although it's not something they've raised with me directly."
LISTEN: John Rose reads the 1pm news bulletin on MFR 2 with this report from MFR News reporter Bryan Rutherford...
Last night Morrison Construction admitted to a meeting of Wick Campus stakeholders that scaffolding was left under a number of stairwells, and covered up by plasterboard walls.
The builder continues to insist that the scaffolding was abandoned and not actually needed to hold up the structures, and has since been removed after an order from Highland Council.
An MFR News investigation initially exposed one of those stairwells which prompted local government officials to have the plasterboard broken to confirm our findings.
"Parents and staff in the community at large are worried." GAIL ROSS MSP
Since then Highland MSP Edward Mountain (Conservative) confronted the First Minister at FMQs last week about the discovery, and Nicola Sturgeon promised to look into the issue and have her Education Secretary write back to the MSP.
Last night local MSP Gail Ross (SNP) voiced her concerns about potential safety issues at the troubled development site, which has still not welcomed school kids through its doors to start educating them.
Calling for independent safety inspectors to visit the campus, she told MFR News: "Highland Council have been asked by stakeholders, local media/press, by members of the community, and now they've been asked by the Scottish Government, to be more transparent.
"Highland Council and the contractor have admitted to various things that maybe haven't quite gone to plan.
"Parents and staff in the community at large are worried, and whether their concerns are valid, or not, their concerns are real, and their concerns should be addressed."