Dumbarton councillor Ian Murray questioned the worthiness of the proposals given the fact it would only reduce the number of schools from 34 to 32.

Cllr Murray said: “To me the absence of an overall plan looks as if we’re once again chasing the money.” Both Mr Lanagan and Cllr McGinty claimed the proposals were just the first step in a more long-term “strategy”.

But Cllr Murray responded: “There’s a difference between a strategy and a plan, a strategy is how you’re going to move forward and a plan is how it will be implemented and I think that’s what’s missing at this stage.”