A decision on the furture of three Vale primary schools is expected to be made at a crunch meeting later this month - and the time has been switched to 10am two days before Christmas.

The time of the education meeting has moved been to 10am - two months after it was changed to 5pm to fit in with committee convener Councillor Michelle McGinty’s college course.

A decision is expected at the meeting on the proposal to close St Martin’s Primary School and merge it with St Mary’s in a new build at the current St Martin’s site and move Renton Primary and Language Unit and Riverside nursery to new neighbouring buildings.

The £17.2million scheme put forward by West Dunbartonshire Council’s education chief Terry Lanagan has led to parents protesting and creating a new proposal to keep the schools at their current sites which they claim is £2million cheaper.

The chairman of a parent council fighting plans to merge and close primary schools in the Vale said parents still hope to save their schools despite engineers already carrying out work at the proposed new site.

BAM engineers were at the 3G pitch at Vale of Leven Academy to assess options for building a super-campus housing three primary schools, a nursery, and language unit on the pitch and adjacent land.

St Martin’s Parent Council chairman Drew MacEoghainn told the Reporter tthe protesters remain hopeful their views would be heard. He said: “We may be naive, but even after the latest decision to move the education committee to two days before Christmas at 10am - straying away from the unwritten agreement that council meetings are moved forward a week from the Christmas week to allow councillors to be with their kids and to go shopping.

“And the fact  that the council have just had BAM on site at the VOLA working on design feasibilities in preparation for relocating the pitch to the rear of the VOLA facilitating the building of the super-school at a cost of over £19,000, we still have faith in the Education committee listening to the people.”

He said they parents believe the committee will ‘will listen to the people directly affected by their decision and politely decline the proposal’.

Councillor Jim Bollan has questioned Mr Lanagan about the cost of the work at the pitch and why money is being spent on a proposal which has not yet been agreed - asking: “Are we to assume from this activity that the new super-campus is a done deal and parents and Education Scotland’s views are to be ignored?”

He said Mr Lanagan had told him he did not know about the £19,272 pitch works.

A council spokesman said: "Given that all educational establishments are on holiday on December 23, it was felt that holding the meeting during the day would better suit those with links to the schools and centre.

He added: "We’re happy to update that designers visited the Vale of Leven Academy last week to view the 3G pitch and assess the options for relocating the facility should the proposal to build a new Alexandria education campus be approved. 

“This is standard practice and was undertaken now to help inform the report going to committee in December, and to ensure the project is ready to proceed should approval be given.

“The council has brought this committee forward because all required reports have now been submitted and there is no reason to delay. The council is fully operational until 5pm on Thursday, December 24, so holding the committee on Wednesday, December 23 fully complies with council policy. Suggestions otherwise are wrong.”