Friday August 21st 2026
Knowepark Primary School
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A pro-active councillor faced a public backlash this week after she appealed for volunteers to paint railings at a Scottish Borders school.
Selkirk Independent representative Caroline Cochrane made an appeal for residents to pop along to Knowepark Primary School on Sunday, September 13 and a week later, Sunday, September 20.
The school, which has a busy residential road running along both the front and back of the building, has around 200 pupils and is surrounded by peach-coloured metal railings, which have grown rusty and dated over the years.
It is believed the railings have not had a paint job for at least eight years.
The call for volunteers received the thumbs-up from many on social media but others questioned why residents had to step into the breach and pondered why Scottish Borders Council wasn’t carrying out the work.
One unhappy resident posted: “So technically you/SBC are charging people Council Tax, then asking the same people that pay the Council Tax to maintain the council’s estate for nothing, that the tax they pay goes towards maintaining.
“What an embarrassing state of affairs things have become.”
In response, Councillor Cochrane said she had been informed there was no available funds in the council budget to cover the work.
She said: “I totally get the frustration. I have been trying for eight years to get the railings painted and been told there is no budget.
“Believe me, I don’t want to spend my weekends painting railings, litter picking etc but I do it because I want what’s best for the town. The railings at the school are depressing and the teachers themselves have looked at painting them.
“I just feel something needs to be done and I just can’t sit back and wait or it won’t happen. Hopefully folks will be kind enough to come and help out.”
The Selkirk councillor has received some good news from local painter and decorator Gary Guthrie who offered to supply the paint needed for the job.
Tweet Share on Facebook
