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15 Aug 2012
More than £2.3 million was spent by Scottish councils last year repairing the damage caused by vandals in schools.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives have revealed that around £45,000 per week is being shelled out by council taxpayers to address the problem.
The costs vary from council to council, with the bigger city authorities facing the steepest bills.
In Glasgow the bill ran to almost £500,000 for session 2010-11.
And with one council not able to respond to the Freedom of Information request, the true figure is likely to be even higher.
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith MSP said:
“It is very worrying that such a considerable sum of money is being spent on repairing the results of mindless acts of criminal damage.
“Such acts are not only totally irresponsible, but they also cause a great deal of distress to local communities.
“The impact is even worse at a time when budgets are so tight and when the country is trying so hard to build a meaningful Olympic legacy for our young people.
“Much tougher action is required to punish the offenders and ensure they have to pay back the costs they impose on society.”
Notes to Editors
Below is the amount of money spent repairing school vandalism last year:
Aberdeen – £265,476
Aberdeenshire – £103,789
Angus – £23,633
Argyll and Bute – £3,844
Clackmannanshire – £39,362
Dumfries and Galloway – £29,505
Dundee – £187,140
East Ayrshire – £16,427
East Dunbartonshire – £9,049
East Lothian – £43,536
East Renfrewshire – £23,183
Edinburgh – £47,228
Eilean Siar – £2,500
Falkirk – £281,000
Fife – £347,779
Glasgow – £448,310
Highland – £57,223
Inverclyde – £20,008
Midlothian – £12,678
Moray – £28,746
North Ayrshire – £75,722
North Lanarkshire – £126,256
Orkney – £530
Perth and Kinross – £31,769
Renfrewshire – £45,757
Scottish Borders – £28,741
Shetland – £3,663
South Ayrshire – £2,767
South Lanarkshire – £59,943
Stirling – £7,589
West Dunbartonshire – don’t hold information
West Lothian – £22,171
Total – £2,395, 324
