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Investigation into unused Aberlour nursery cabins shows ‘unauthorised’ £117,000 payment

An advanced payment of £117,430 was made for the temporary units without the knowledge of Moray Council's chief financial officer, breaking procedure.

A decision on what to do with temporary classrooms bought for £235k to house nursery children at Aberlour Primary must be made as a matter of urgency. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson
A decision on what to do with temporary classrooms bought for £235k to house nursery children at Aberlour Primary must be made as a matter of urgency. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Moray Council needs to take a decision on what to do with unused temporary classrooms as a matter of urgency.

The cabins were bought for almost £235,000 and were to house children attending Aberlour Primary nursery to allow refurbishment of the building.

But the two units will not be used for that purpose.

Findings from an internal investigation into contract management arrangements for the upgrade will go before councillors next week.

£117k payment not authorised

It reveals as advanced payment of £117,430 was made for the cabins without the knowledge of the chief financial officer, breaking procedure.

Also, at times auditors were unable to evidence a proper document trail for the nursery project.

On top of the cost of the cabins, the council has spent £6,000 storing them at a site in Kintore, Aberdeenshre.

In addition, replacement doors bought to comply with building regulations have cost around £14,000.

Members of Moray Council audit and scrutiny committee will discuss the report on procedures relating to the early years expansion project at Aberlour Primary School next week. Image: Moray Council

However a further £2,000 was spent having them delivered to a council depot in Keith.

Refurbishment work has yet to start on the project. But the amount spent so far is around £340,000.

Councillors were told in April the total cost of the Aberlour early learning upgrade would increase from £900,000 to over £1 million.

In his report audit and risk manager Dafydd Lewis acknowledges staffing issues, the pressures of working during Covid and the rise in construction costs could have influenced decision making.

‘Matter of urgency’

Mr Lewis said: “The audit findings should be viewed with consideration of the extraordinary challenges faced by officers during the pandemic.

“A decision should be undertaken as a matter of urgency regarding the future use of these temporary cabins.

“The audit has experienced difficulties in sometimes evidencing
an audit trail that clearly documents progress.

“This may be due to the exceptional circumstances surrounding the pandemic and that officers have moved to other posts or are no longer employed by the council.”

Work on refurbishing Aberlour Primary nursery accommodation has yet to begin. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

He added “no evidence” was found that the chief financial officer had been consulted to authorise the advance payment.

As well as a decision on what to do with the cabins, the report recommends officers responsible for buying goods and services be reminded of the council’s financial and procurement regulations.

It also states they should be advised that advanced payments need to be cleared by the chief financial officer.

A review of the Aberlour early years contract is also recommended as is improvements in communication with stakeholders.

Could yurts be the answer?

Major refurbishment of the nursery accommodation was supposed to begin in in August 2020.

But because of the pandemic, that was rescheduled to start before the end of 2021.

One of the temporary units was to be sited in the grounds of Aberlour Primary and the other at nearby Speyside High School.

However, safety concerns were raised over the proposed locations.

Consideration was then given to setting up a temporary outdoor nursery in a park next to the cemetery in Aberlour.

But that was not thought suitable.

Moray Council is finding it difficult to return £80,000 to the estates of deceased health and social care clients.
The Aperlour Primary project is the the final part of Moray Council’s £55 million expansion of early years provision. Image: DC Thomson

It had been thought the work would be carried out during school holidays.

However officers are now considering whether to buy yurts to accommodate the children.

They could be sited in the grounds of the primary school for the duration of the work.

The Aberlour nursery upgrade is the last part of the council’s £55 million expansion of the early years service to be completed.

It is to provide 1,140 hours of childcare for three to five year olds and eligible two year olds.

The Aberlour project will be discussed at a meeting of the audit and scrutiny committee on Wednesday (10 April).

Read the audit report here.

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