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At the beginning of this week, campaigners from the Isle of Mull travelled to Edinburgh’s Court of Session. They were there to witness the latest stage in their fight with their local council: a formal hearing of their request for a Judicial Review.

In short, there is a dispute over the location of a new school on the island.

Officials want a straight replacement of the status quo, basically moving the current 2-18 school a few minutes down the hill to the edge of Tobermory. Many islanders, however, want a high school in a central location, a move that would end the practice of shipping children from the south of the island off to a boarding hostel in Oban.

There are issues around funding models, child welfare, the Islands Act, UNCRC, and more, but at the heart of the controversy is a fairly straightforward conflict: the people of Mull want a meaningful say on where a new school will be located, and how education will be provided to future generations of their children; the local council says they’ve no right to that sort of input, and are seeking to remain in control of this critical choice.

Those........

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