Families who “really need the money” after losing hundreds of pounds on cancelled school trips have been offered a ray of hope as Highland Council is poised to look at ways of repaying them.
Local authority officers have estimated that it will cost around £290,000 to refund the scores of parents have who stumped up for 66 trips which were called off due to the pandemic.
They have now decided it would be “appropriate” for the council to take the lead role in trying to refund families.
Tomorrow, councillors will discuss the recommendation that the money be taken from the organisation’s hardship fund.
But officers are also recommending that a task force be drawn from across its education, finance, legal and insurance departments to work on reducing the cost to the council of stumping up for the refunds by clawing cash back from travel and accommodation providers.
Councillor Duncan Macpherson said reclaiming the money was likely to be a complicated process.
The Inverness South member said: “Some companies are saying it’s not covered by their insurance, others are refusing because trips were cancelled before there was a formal instruction from the Foreign Office, therefore you forfeited your deposit.
“Where schools have gone on the same trip year after year, and to keep the cost down the school has booked the bus and ferry excursions themselves instead of as a package, some of these smaller companies have insisted on bigger deposits being paid in advance and there’s a problem with getting money back.
“And if your child is in P7, it’s no good telling parents your child can go on the excursion next year.”
Mr Macpherson said he fully advocates the use of the hardship fund to compensate parents.
He added: “A mother from Culloden phoned me on behalf of another family.
“She has lost £500, and says although she can afford it, others are struggling.
“So let’s use the fund for the hardship, they’re our people, our constituents and we really need to be looking after them first and foremost.”
Councillor Ken Gowans has also been contacted by concerned parents.
He said: “I appreciate it may be very complex but it is incumbent on the council to refund parents’ money as soon as possible.”
Inshes mum Sharon Fraser paid £320 for a trip to Nethy Bridge for her daughter Summer that never took place, and previously raised fears for families for whom every penny matters at the moment.
She said: “We would be over the moon if we got our money back. But we have not heard anything yet. The lack of communication is terrible.
“If we had to pay Highland Council money they would not wait about in getting their money back, but when it’s the other way around we are left waiting in limbo.
“If we eventually get the money back that would be very welcome, but the way the council has handled this is appalling.”
A council spokesman said the authority is waiting for advice from the Scottish Government on future trips.
He said: “While in light of Covid-19 it is likely schools will take a more cautious approach to trips, certainly for the coming months, they do remain an important feature of school life.
“Looking beyond the current situation, the council will need to ensure that there remains robust and risk-managed processes in place as part of school trip planning.”