Peatstack

The Peatstack would like to add a little clarity to some of the financial matters referred to in earlier posts about the proposed closure of the S1/2 units in our local schools.
Namely, that the Comhairle's PPP (Private Public Partnership) for school development is in many ways a more acceptable hybrid version of the common private finance models used elsewhere, involving the Comhairle actually setting up and owning a private company (Western Isles Schools Project or WISP), and is not therefore the usual userous private profit type company.
At least the people of the Western Isles might, in theory actually own this company itself.
The Company will, The Peatstack understands, be set up to develop the schools project and the various contracts involved, and then oversee the on-going management of the newly developed schools. The finance for this will not be coming from private sources but from the Treasury's Public Works Board at a largely acceptable interest rate - but that is only for the capital costs, and not the on-going management costs of the new facilities.
Faithful & Gould/Navigant are contracted to develop this project and to obtain best cost for contracts etc. At what cost, I ask?
Now, please do accuse the Peatstack of being naive in being a little less against this hybrid model than the full-blown private finance schemes used elsewhere. If all of this is just the Comhairle window-dressing the same bad finance deal, then do let me know, but as it stands I feel we should focus on the real cost of the on-going management of these new facilities which will envitably be run by a private contractor.
However, the Devil as they say, is in the detail. For whilst the finance might be, in the round, on more beneficial terms, part of the on-going cost of the schools development will be for what is referred to in the WISP Development Plan as a contract for 'facilities management' of the new schools. Namely, the privatisation of schools maintenance etc.
So, whilst the Peatstack hopes he is right about the hybrid financial model being less onorous than the usual private sector finance model, I shudder to think what the spend will be on a private company running 'facilities management' on behalf of the Comhairle. No one does that for charity, so the costs of that contract could be very high.
This contract will, I am sure, cost lots of money and jobs, for there will be no hybrid model available in awarding and paying for such a private sector contract. Elsewhere, in parts where such management contracts operate, teachers have complained about having to ring a call centre in some remote place in order to arrange for a light bulb to be changed. (Yes, this is the kind of real complaint that can be sourced on the credible websites of the main trade unions etc.)
So what is the truth here? How much is this contract going to be for? What's the profit margin of the contractor going to be (all of it from council tax payers money and the already stretched education budget)? and do we want our S1/2 units instead of a tidy profit for the contractor?