09/02/2017 Reporting Scotland

And on BBC One, we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

Tonight, on Reporting Scotland: The wall collapse which led

to the closure of 17 Edinburgh schools - A report says

Somebody should be held culpable for this. That could have been a kid. In

fact the could have been a whole class full of kids.

The inquiry blames a lack of checks and says problems

Also on the programme, Four more councils agree to put up

the basic rate of council tax as the freeze ends.

22 schoolchildren are taken to hospital after the bus

The unpaid work done by offenders - the government says it benefits

local communities and keeps reconviction rates down.

And a former Rangers captain says manager Mark Warburton hasn't

been given the financial backing he deserves.

An independent report into safety failures that forced the closure

of 17 Edinburgh schools has blamed the council and the

partnership which managed the building contracts.

It began with the collapse of a wall at Oxgangs Primary School in January

last year which the report says could have killed pupils.

That led to safety checks and the closure of the schools,

which caused major disruption for 8,000 schoolchildren.

Today's report found there had been a lack of proper scrutiny

of the construction work and warned that the problems may

Our reporter Cameron Buttle is at Oxgangs school tonight.

It was the day storm Gertrude/ silly-macro/ and it was only a

matter of timing and look that no one was injured. It collapsed

because of these, wall ties. They are used to connect the inner wall

to the outer wall. According to this report, they weren't fitted properly

here at the school and that many others.

This is where the children sheltered on a windy day at playtime. This is

where nine tonnes of rubble fell, hundreds of bricks peeling from the

wall and crashing to the ground. Luckily it happened just before the

school gates open. Parents are still angry. It's ridiculous. The fact

they can build a school that holds 500 children and not check it out

and not have anybody independently check it out, it is a complete and

utter farce. I got a phone call to say your son's not here, he's not at

school. Somebody needs to be held culpable for this. That could have

been a kid, in fact it could have been a whole class full of kids.

This sparked an urgent inspection of schools built under the same scheme.

There are 17 of them and all found to be faulty and all were shut down

causing massive disruption. The main findings are that the 17 schools

affected were badly built. There was a lack of supervision that would

have picked up bad practices. And the problems were not bound to the

use of public, private partnerships to finance the projects. The problem

was with wall ties, metal fixings that strengthened the inner and

outer walls. The BBC Scotland investigation revealed the problem

was not confined to Edinburgh. These pictures show faulty fixings in East

Renfrewshire. The fact there were different contractors and

subcontractors and the same faults turned up at other schools in

Scotland, where we found five wall collapse in the last four years. It

says this is something which isn't just here in Edinburgh. It is going

to be down to a number of agencies across the UK and the construction

agency itself to look at whether the quality assurance of those buildings

is good enough. The closures caused massive disruption across the city,

more than 8000 children affected and their families. The report praises

the Council for their response to getting pupils to class and says

learning did not suffer. But for one family, they still lack confidence

in the building. I still don't stand next to the wall now. I know they

have fixed it and I have seen them physically drill holes into every

bit, but it does put you off standing too close. It is a lot

quieter in that part of the trade ground. The Scottish Government says

it is writing to all local authorities across Scotland,

highlighting the report's recommendations.

Tonight there is a sense this report has not answered all the questions

asked. There is no finger-pointing at any one individual, organisation

or company. All the construction firms have either merged or change

management. As for the Edinburgh schools partnership, managers of

this schools, it says it is still studying the report. Thank you.

Four more councils have agreed to put up the basic rate

The average bill will rise by ?3 or ?4 a month,

while around a quarter of people will face more significant rises

because of national changes to the way their council

Edinburgh Council today became the first big

But as our local government correspondent Jamie McIvor reports,

councils are still under huge financial pressure.

Council budget day is a day of tradition. Inside council chambers

and outside. For years, councils have faced tough spending decisions,

but this year there is a difference. Councils across Scotland can put up

the basic rate of council tax by 3%. But it won't mean the end of cuts

and savings. Many councils are proposing new headline grabbing cuts

this year. Protesters say one big issue is about what some call

cutting by stealth. Councils feel overstretched. In Edinburgh, 1400

members of staff have gone this year. It increases the workload of

other people. People can provide the service they want to provide. They

cannot get out to meet the people. Typically, the council tax makes up

only 15p of every pound council spends. Some council leaders want

new powers to find other ways to raise cash, their independence --

dependence on the Scottish Parliament. I would raise tax

tomorrow if I had the power to do so. I would place a parking levy

tomorrow, but I don't have those powers. Edinburgh Council is one of

five councils to have agreed to put a basic council tax by 3%.

Aberdeenshire opted for a smaller rise. Typically, an average bill

will go up by three and ?4 a month, but around a quarter face bigger

rises. The bills in band E, F, G and H are rising because of changes to

the system. This man's annual bill will come to almost ?1600. I have

spoken to my neighbours and most of us have said we are prepared to pay

a bit more if it will be held locally and local decisions are made

on how to spend the money. Others face even bigger rises and some will

be less sympathetic than this man. All councils should reach decisions

in the council tax within the next three weeks.

And Jamie joins us now from outside Edinburgh Council.

Jamie, can we assume that all councils will raise

In short, no we cannot. At Edinburgh Council, there is no doubt how the

decision would go today, but two councils had indicated their plan

was to try to maintain the freeze on basic bills. That is South

Lanarkshire and Inverclyde Council. They are both Labour run councils

and would say it is an interesting move by them. These councils would

argue they are trying their best to help family budgets, but leave

themselves open to criticism by help family budgets, but leave

campaigners that by not raising the council tax or not doing all that is

within their power to at least try to mitigate the impact of cuts, the

Scottish Government would no doubt argue a council that doesn't raise

council tax, can hardly complain how much government funding they are

getting. But there are a few of the councils to make

getting. But there are a few of the public. Thank you, Jamie.

The First Minister has faced claims that her Government has let down

The Holyrood row followed analysis from a think tank

which suggests that bright pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds

in Scotland lag well behind their more affluent classmates.

The Sutton Trust also suggested that Scotland's brightest

pupils are performing below international standards.

The First Minister insisted action was already well under way

Here's our Political Editor Brian Taylor.

If these warnings about Scotland's schools sound familiar, they are.

The Sutton Trust the data from an international survey and matched

pupil performance of background. They found bright children from poor

households are more than two and a half years behind their wealthier

classmates by the age of 15. In England, the gap in attainment link

to wealth is even greater, but this report highlights a distinctive

Scottish problem. Unlike in England, Scotland's brightest pupils score

below the average for developed countries. The trust found no area

in which the brightest 15-year-olds in Scotland really excel and they

noticed a pronounced and sustained decline in science over a decade. A

decade of cause, of the SNP in power at Holyrood. It is a generation of

Scottish people that are being left behind in the race for

qualifications and future jobs. Scotland used to lead the world in

education. White under this SNP government, are we always playing

catch-up? Time and time again I have come here and argued the SNP are

leaving the poorest children behind. This report shows they are holding

the brightest children back. A sombre Education Secretary by her

side, the First Minister noted the basic figures were already two years

old. But, no excuses, action was needed and was already in progress.

We have embarked upon a programme of reforms in education are underpinned

by substantial additional funding, going straight into the hands of

head teachers. Our headteachers across this country, last week got

told of the substantial additional funding that they will have at their

direct disposal, to invest in additional teachers or the things

they think will help raise attainment. The First Minister said

again, education was her top priority and, like a political exam

candidate, she was ready to be judged by results.

Crews searching for missing kayaker Dominic Jackson

The 35 year-old was reported overdue on Sunday night

after leaving for a weekend trip from Portsoy in Aberdeenshire.

His kayak was located four days ago near Lybster in Caithness.

The body, which has yet to be formally identified,

Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray and RAF

Coningsby in Lincolnshire have been scrambled to monitor two

The Russian aircraft were said to have flown an arc around the top

of Scotland from a north east direction before passing

The Ministry of Defence said they were not in UK air space.

they were travelling in overturned and crashed down an embankment

It happened as the bus arrived at Our Lady's High School shortly

Although there were no serious injuries, a major incident

was declared with ambulance, police and fire appliances

The scene outside the school in Cumbernauld this morning. At 8:45am

a single deck of bus plunge down this ditch. The bus rolled over onto

its side. One people, who got out, said the driver helped his

passengers to escape. It was witnessed by this woman. I literally

saw the Boscombe down the hill and the wheel hit the curb and I don't

know if it exploded, but there was fire coming out of it. I just saw it

literally flip right over. A major incident was declared with 20

ambulances going to the scene as well as three fire appliances. The

bus was on its side and the escape hatches on the roof had been popped

out and we lead the kids out through those openings. A lot of the kids

were pretty upset. My friends and colleagues who saw it happening,

they, it was a difficult scene for those. Most pupils were taken into

the school hall to recover. Later, 22 were taken to hospital.

116-year-old girl is being treated for nonserious injuries and the rest

are under investigation. In North Lanarkshire we take the safety of

our young people very seriously. Parents on a daily basis give their

most valuable possessions, their children. It is important we

investigate this matter fully. The vehicle was eventually pulled out

from the ditch. It will now be examined. The bus company confirmed

their driver is recovering. More than 1.2 million hours

of unpaid work was carried out by offenders in Scotland in the year

to the end of last March. The government maintains the scheme

benefits local communities and keeps Our Home Affairs Correspondent,

Reevel Alderson reports. Paying back to society. Offenders

who have received community payback orders alternative to prison

sentences deliver donations to a foodbank. Fraser Johnston was

sentenced to 240 hours unpaid work for wasting police time. He avoided

jail, but said it is not a soft option. It gives me a bit of

structure in my life. Before I had community service, I didn't do much.

We have been painting fences and sometimes you out in the cold and

the rain and stuff. I don't think it is a soft sentence because it is

hard work. The foodbank says it couldn't operate without these

offenders and there is an additional benefit. The young men and women who

are doing unpaid work, get to see the community in action. They get to

see what can be achieved with a working partnership. They feel their

contribution is valued. They see they are actually making a

difference to the communities they live in. Breaking the cycle of

reoffending, here in Bellshill, offenders are refurbishing bikes to

be given to local schools and refugee families. The Scottish

Government says work like this is more effective at addressing the

reasons why offenders have got into trouble. Reconviction rates are at a

17 year low. It has come about as a result of community payback orders,

because it helps break the cycle of offenders going on to reoffend in

the future. It helps to create safer communities. Payback orders can

include help for offenders to deal with addictions or violent

behaviour. The cottage government gave ?4 million extra last year to

support community sentences and says it will continue in the draft

budget. You're watching

BBC Reporting Scotland. A report into the wall collapse

which led to the closure of 17 Edinburgh schools

says pupils could have died. A former Rangers captain

says manager Mark Warburton hasn't been given

the financial backing he deserves. The family of a man

from the Highlands who died in mysterious circumstances

20 years ago today say they hope a review of the case will

lead police to his killer. 24 year-old Kevin Mcleod

was found dead in Wick harbour, and an initial police investigation

concluded it was an accident. But his family maintain

he was murdered and that police covered up the truth.

Craig Anderson reports. 24-year-old Kevin Mcleod died after

a night out with his pals, his body found in the harbour. Police from

the Ven Northern Constabulary concluded that Kevin had stumbled

over an ornamental pollard at the harbour-side and his death was an

accident. His family have always insisted otherwise.

Kevin did not fall on that ornamental street pollard. No way.

It's a ludicrous excuse. Kevin was kicked in, kicked to death, and I

believe he was put in the water. A pathologist report showed the

young man had suffered serious internal injuries, consistent with a

beating before entering the water. Police were told to treat his death

as potential murder. They didn't. Everything from day one was covered

up, really. No proper investigation is done. No enquiries. Didn't

protect us. They didn't do anything. Everything in their procedures was

done wrong. A series of free investigations have

raised more questions than answers. But now the Chief Constable of

police Scotland has ordered another review.

Let's make no mistake, the family have been through hell in the last

20 years. We are at the stage now that the reassessment of the

circumstances is very welcome, whether or not it will throw up any

new evidence or reason for the investigation, it still remains to

be seen. Police Scotland declined to be interviewed about the case this

week, but insisted it was not a reinvestigation, but an assessment

of the information surrounding Kevin Mcleod's death. That distinction may

be lost on many of us, but for Kevin Mcleod's family, it may lead to some

hope of what they see as justice for Kevin.

A look at other stories from across the country.

A 55 year-old woman who died after a house fire in Aberdeenshire

Elmore Mitchell died after the fire in Kindrochit Drive in Braemar

Police Scotland said inquiries were ongoing,

but there did not appear to be any suspicious circumstances.

Patients may have to wait longer for treatment by a health board

which has been bailed out by the Scottish Government

NHS Tayside is considering increasing its waiting times

NHS Scotland chief executive Paul Gray told MSPs

on the Public Audit Committee that it was one of the options

the health board had discussed to improve its financial situation.

The Scottish Prison Service says it's identified a site

There were protests over initial plans to build the replacement

for the city's ageing Victorian jail close to a growing

The SPS will now apply for planning permission to site HMP Highland

between an out of town retail park and a college campus.

An international design competition has been launched to replace

The venue, in the city's Princes Street Gardens,

was developed in 1935 and has a capacity of 2,400.

Architects are being asked to submit plans for a replacement pavilion,

Once a winning design is chosen, its hoped that building work

The former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson says the club's

manager Mark Warburton hasn't been given the financial

Warburton's side face Morton in the Scottish Cup this weekend

but it's faltering league form that has led to some fans asking

questions about his future. But is the criticism justified?

He's the man Rangers fans once lauded for turning their team's

fortunes around. But with one win in the last five league matches, the

pressure is mounting ahead of Sunday's game against Morton. Should

it be? Celtic are way out in front, but given their financial muscle,

they were always likely to be. Second place was always the target,

and is still very much insight. Rangers also remain in the Scottish

cup. But it is a dip in form, and questionable signings that have seen

eyebrows raised. So to some examples, striker Joe Garner was

bought for ?1.8 million. He has been a bit part player and has scored

three times. Joey Barton was a marquee signing, but played eight

times, and left after a training ground bust up. Then Matt Crookes,

he signed a four-year deal, played three times, and was sent out on

loan. But have the board backed him with enough cash?

I look at it and think, he has not been back. He would have wanted to

strengthen more. To finish second, then see what happens in the summer,

hopefully get a bit back from the boards to spend some money.

A good ball in, it is walk! The argument is, he should have

spent enough to avoid losses. Rangers are just behind second-place

Aberdeen. Roughly where they should be?

I think it will be tied between them and Aberdeen for the rest of the

campaign. It could go either way. Rangers are not going to be

convincingly second. It is worth remembering that Aberdeen have not

had an outstanding season by their measure in the league.

That will matter little to how Mark Warburton's success is measured. He

says the random nature of football has worked against him. Not enough

backing or not enough wins? Either way, victory at the weekend feels

vital. Timeline is on BBC Two

tonight at 7.30pm. Here's Shereen and Glenn

with the details. Andy Murray has announced he is

bringing Roger Federer to Glasgow. We have the world number one on the

programme. We speak to a woman horribly

disfigured by a dog attack. We ask why Scotland still has no

film studio. As Shereen said, more

on Andy Murray later, but when he announced that

Roger Federer was coming to Glasgow this was the unusual advice he had

for the Swiss tennis legend. Don't try the fried Mars bars... I

tried one of them for the first time last year, it was horrific. Stay

away from that. You are not going to teach him how

to put a job on? to put a job on?

-- a kilt on. It was quite good, it was funny.

Are you going to put lederhosen on for him?

Some sunshine today, a beautiful shot from a weather watcher in the

north-west. For many, a cloudy and grey day. More cloud than we

north-west. For many, a cloudy and forecast. Tonight, cold and frosty.

Dry for most, but the showers with us a cross eastern Scotland from the

Dry for most, but the showers with Borders up to Shetland.

Accumulations of snow in places, particularly Shetland,

Aberdeenshire, and the borders. For many, a dry and cold night. In town,

temperatures freezing. In the countryside, well below. Showers

affect eastern parts, slippery in the morning in places, but for many,

a dry and bright morning. More sunshine than we saw today. Crisp as

we head through to the afternoon. But it will be a cold afternoon, and

certainly a inland areas, 3-4 at best. One or two spots struggling to

reach anything above zero or 1 degrees. Eastern parts using,

elsewhere largely dry. Once again, the best sunshine in the north-west.

We have lost the wind around the west Coast and north-east coast, not

as bitter here, but still cold. The rest of the afternoon, the evening

and into the night, cold weather affecting the coastal fringes, but

for many, it sharp frost. To the weekend, high pressure with us, so

largely dry, but still the nagging easterly, North easterly, feeding

showers from Angus towards the borders. Inland as far as South

Lanarkshire, elsewhere dry and bright. In the central belt and

South, Central winds quite bitter. For Sunday, dry and settled, the

best of the sunshine in the west, East has more cloud, and once again,

rather cold for all. That's the forecast for now.

An independent report into closures closing schools has blamed the

council and the partnership that managed the building contract. The

report found a wall collapse could have killed pupils.

I'll be back with the headlines at 8:00pm and the late bulletin just

Until then, from everyone on the team, have a very good evening.