South Ayrshire Council News

Additional grant funding of £1.1.08 million has been made available to South Ayrshire Council, by the Scottish Executive, for investment in capital projects, subject to them meeting the grant criteria.

The Leadership Panel decided in September to use £0.887m of the grant to fund changes in the Council’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) system, to change from operate in Novell to Microsoft.

The balance of £0.221m available must be used on a project that is undertaken in financial year 2007/08, with the project being substantially complete by 31 March 2008.

The Leadership Panel has decided to use the funding to introduce woodchip fired boilers in to Queen Margaret Academy, Gardenrose Primary School and Doonfoot Primary School at a total cost of £0.396 million. Grant funding of 40 per cent (£0.158m) has been provided by the Scottish Biomass Support Scheme and this must be spent in 2007/08.

Councillor Bill McIntosh, the Portfolio Carrier for Resource and Performance said: “New gas-fired heating systems have already been installed within the schools, so all that will be required is to fit woodchip fired boilers.

“Changing the boilers in these schools will reduce the running costs for the systems by £11,000 per year. Another important factor in changing the boilers is that the woodchip fired boilers will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by 750 tonnes a year, which will benefit the environment and reduce the Council’s carbon footprint.”