SCOTTISH Borders Council's exectuive member for education revealed he would "love" to build a new high school in Peebles.

However, Councillor Sandy Aitchison said that replacement secondaries in Galashiels, Jedburgh, and Kelso were priority. 

He was commenting after Peebles Community Council branded the facilities on offer at Peebles "inadequate and unsatisfactory."

As reported in the Peeblesshire News last week, members were invited on a tour of the town's highschool by pupils who believe they deserve a new building.

Community Councillor Anne Snoddy revealed the science laboritories were in such a state that pupils who could afford it attend weekend courses elsewhere to carry out experiments to meet the requirements of their advanced courses.

Responding to the concerns this week, Councillor Aitchison said: "I would love to provide a new High School for Peebles but there are a series of tests we have to run to see in which order we build our schools and replace the buildings.

“In recent years we have seen three magnificent new buildings in other parts of the Borders and we are currently awaiting clarification of the funding and therefore start date of the proposed new Kelso High School, which we hope will be underway as early as is sensible in 2016.

“There are other schools, which are also in need of replacement, Jedburgh and Gala are the ones which we are currently discussing.

“Such a huge capital investment cannot be made without the support of the Scottish Government, but we are actively looking at all of our estate within Scottish Borders and we will be basing our priorities on the many facts we will glean from that exercise, so that our decisions stand up to inspection.

“Obviously, as the Executive member for Education, I am very keen to provide the best facility I can, both in buildings and in staff and their skills, and if it was down to me, all of the council budget would be spent on Education but I have colleagues who see priorities in their areas of responsibility.”

The community council agreed to continue to lobby for better school facilities in Peebles.