"But the financial situation is serious and we need to explore every avenue to provide services to people without needing to borrow – and we will have to do some fairly unconventional things. "Local schools are an important institution in the history of schooling in Scotland and there is an embedded public service element which is not quite so relevant in England." The East Lothian proposal has sparked political controversy, with Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, dismissing it as out of step with the public mood. Full Article at The Scotsman