School umbrella organisation SKPO has expressed its anger in a letter to the Eindhoven council about the attitude of the council for the construction project of primary school De Tweelingen.
Due to the circumstances, the construction costs have turned out to be much more than estimated in the beginning. This was partly because the start of construction had to be postponed because the contractor was dissatisfied with the architect’s drawings. In addition, raw materials have become much more expensive due to the war in Ukraine. The total increase in costs is 1.3 million euros.
And for that, the council must step in, says the SKPO. After all, the council has a statutory duty to provide educational facilities in the city. In addition, the council of Eindhoven receives resources from the government for this purpose. On the other hand, school boards should not be allowed to invest in housing.
Nevertheless, the council of Eindhoven have failed to come up with the necessary money, causing distress to the SKPO.
‘Not taken seriously’
According to the school umbrella, long consultations were held with the council. The school umbrella supplied information ‘time and again’, where the council needed to check whether the price increases mentioned were properly substantiated.
In response to the information, the council announced that extra costs would not be paid and instead, would start a new procedure that would, according to SKPO, take the whole of 2023. Moreover, the result would be that the school umbrella organisation would not receive the money for the renovation.
Financial risks
SKPO therefore feels that it is not being taken seriously, the organisation reports. In addition, the school umbrella believes that the financial risks of the new building are being left to them. This is after the Ministry of the Interior stated that such risks – which have become much greater due to the war in Ukraine – should not lie with one party. SKPO is at a disadvantage due to the attitude of the council leading to greater financial burdens on the organisation.
Extra Costs
Due to a longer postponement of the new building, the costs will increase and the organisation also runs the risk of having to repay the initial funding from the government. The umbrella organisation also stated that if the Board aims for a lawsuit, SKPO would be forced to spend even more money – which normally should be spent on education – on advisers and lawyers.
Translated: Yawar Abbas
Source: Studio040.nl
