THE closure of 17 PFI schools in Edinburgh could be one of the biggest scandals of our time.

For over a decade Labour and Lib Dem ministers in the Scottish Executive forced councils to use PFI.

There, at the root of just about every infrastructure project in this country – schools, hospitals, roads, prisons – is the grubby PFI scheme first introduced in 1992 by John Major’s government.

All of the major builds of the first decade of Scotland’s 21st century have been built on the back of a Wonga-style loan. Indeed that’s harsh on Wonga – they just give you the money and want it paid back with interest, unlike PFI where private companies cut corners and costs to maximise profits.

There are still investigations to be done on the schools, but if, like Oxgangs Primary, engineers discover the buildings lack even the basic essentials of construction, be assured Buy Now Pay Later governments must share the blame.


Edinburgh's 17 closed PFI schools may have to be rebuilt