COUNCILLORS have voted to close Pitcorthie Primary School after more than 90 minutes of debating this morning.

Members of the council's executive committee voted by 13 votes to 4 to close the school at a meeting in Glenrothes.

Dunfermline MSP Cara Hilton made a five-minute presentation outlining why she believed the school should stay open but her views were ignored by her Labour colleagues on the committee who voted by an overwhelming majority to shut its doors for good.

The school is now expected to close in August 2015, but members of the Save Pitcorthie Primary campaign - who collected more than 2000 signatures against the plans - have vowed to take their fight to the Scottish Parliament.

Mrs Hilton said, "I have been concerned throughout that there has been a lot of misinformation circulating, particularly in relation to the condition of the school building, especially considering that Ross Tulloch, the council’s own building surveyor, has stated there is no structural concern about the building.

“The fact remains Pitcorthie Primary does not meet any of the guiding principles of the school estate review – it’s full to the brim, its costs are among the lowest in Fife, it represents excellent value to Fife Council taxpayers and it is situated in an area of Dunfermline where we need more school spaces, not less.” Dunfermline South councillor Brian Goodall put forward an amendment to the plans stating that they should be rejected and accused the local authority's education officers of "scaremongering" with their assessment of the building's condition.

He added, "We have shown that no case has been made for the school's closure. The proposal meets none of the guiding principles, there is no educational benefit and it would be devastating for the local community." But independent councillor Bryan Poole, the council's education spokesman, led the charge in favour of pushing forward with the plans and said spending £3 million to extend the school building's lifespan by 30 years "defied logic".

He said, "We either spend a lot on the school or we demolish it. There is no guarantee that £3m will completely solve the problem either.

"Keeping it open would not meet best value and would leave us with a lot of questions from auditors." Pick up Thursday's Press for more, including a full breakdown of the councillors' voting.