Midlothian council elections: Is the end in sight for 'Better Together' council?

The local authority is the fastest-growing part of Scotland, with its population ballooning by 15.8% between 2009 and 2019.

New residents are welcomed to Midlothian – and the council surely welcomes the increased council tax revenue – but opposition parties are deeply concerned there is insufficient infrastructure to support the sheer volume of people moving in.

And the Labour and Tory-controlled council faces accusations of “complacency” over its booming population and the challenges posed.

READ MORE: Council vote may see final nails in Labour's coffin in a historic stronghold

Many new transplants come from Edinburgh, escaping high rents and the stress of city living for the quiet and pretty villages of the historic county – perhaps best known for its starring role in the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code.

Critics of the council suggest its leaders take a similarly secretive approach to decision-making as the shadowy organisations in the Dan Brown thriller.

Kelly Parry, the SNP candidate for Midlothian West, said residents “feel like they aren’t listened to” in decision-making processes.

She points out that two primary schools in her area have closed in recent years – despite opposition from local families.

St Margaret’s RC Primary School will close in July 2022 and Glencorse Primary School ended its 146-year history in 2021.

Parry said: “St Margaret’s was actually quite a new school, it’s an amazing building and there’s no reason why parents wouldn’t want to send their children there.

“Parents have made suggestions the council deliberately ran down pupil enrolment in these schools because there is no reason [for them to close] at all.”

A bubbling controversy is the development of a replacement high school in a location the council insists it must keep under wraps – citing reasons of “commercial confidentiality”.

The National understands the new Beeslack High School is to be built near the Bush Science Park – an industrial estate outside Penicuik. The problem for parents and school pupils is this site sits between two busy main roads and Parry claimed there were concerns about how easy and safe it will be for pupils to access the new campus.

It replaces a school in Penicuik which serves communities in Loanhead, Roslin and Bilston.

A spokesperson for Midlothian Council said the schools were closed following community consultations and that when Glencorse closed, 78 children lived in its catchment but only seven attended the school.

They added that St Margaret’s was closed and that Loanhead Primary – which occupies the same building – continues to operate.

The location for a replacement to Beeslack will be announced once negotiations with the landowner have been finalised, the spokesperson said.

Jillian Simon, who is running on the Greens ticket for Midlothian West, said the issue highlights broader problems with the local authority where there are new developments “popping up all over the place”.

She told The National: “There are plans for the new Beeslack High School to be based at the Bush Science Park, this is miles away from any of the pupils’ homes – how are they going to get there?

“It is miles away from pupils in Penicuik and the council is going to have to pay to get those pupils there.”

In Midlothian, car is king; Penicuik is one of Scotland’s largest towns without a train station. Midlothian’s population of around 93,150 people is served by just four train stations. By comparison, the town of Greenock’s population of just over 41,000 people is served by double that number.

Andrew Coventry, the leader of the Alba Party’s push in the area, said the transport links “are not good”.

He said: “That’s why people are using their cars. We really need to address the public transport issues.

“There are communities that don’t even have a bus service. If people are going to come out here to live – and we’re not complaining about that – we need to provide the services.”

Alba councillors, if elected, would push the case for opening a light rail service along the A701 corridor, which runs past the proposed site for the new Beeslack High School.

But the bold policies the radically changing area needs require local leaders to “shake off the complacency”, said Coventry.

It’s a view backed by Greens candidate Simon, who said: “There are solutions, I think a lot of people aren’t willing to explore new ways of thinking and new ways of doing things.

“I think that’s what’s lacking in Midlothian Council – it’s just more of the same. Things need to change.”

And one of the things which needs to change is more funding. Midlothian is relatively rich place – but it often does not feel that way, according to Simon.

“Midlothian has been underfunded for a long time,” she said.

In the Scottish Government’s latest budget, the money allocated to the council for spending on things like new schools and road repairs was slashed by 34.1%.

It is thought the allocations for Midlothian – which do not chime with its rising population – are based on outdated headcounts which do not reflect the changing face of the area.

Midlothian has been dominated by Labour since the council in its modern form was instituted in 1995. The SNP held just two seats at that election. They go into the upcoming vote as the biggest party in the region and with 11 candidates, they are the only party big enough to take overall control of the Dalkeith administration.

The SNP controlled the council between 2012 and 2017 with the support of a single Greens councillor and Peter de Vink, an independent.

The Greens have no representation on the council, since their only councillor, Ian Baxter, lost his seat in the 2017 election. That was a bumper year for the Tories who gained their first-ever seats on the council, with their leader Peter Smaill taking the position of Provost.

Midlothian voters will go to the polls on May 5 looking for candidates who can meet the task of running this vibrant and growing area. But they will have to have enough grit and determination to be realistic about the challenges they face.