In a withering statement issued after the closure of Friends of the Cowan Park (FOCP), Alan Kirkwood accused ERC of bullying members of the voluntary organisation.

However, ERC has said it was disappointed with FOCP’s outlook, and would continue to work for the benefit of the park.

Mr Kirkwood and members of FOCP have long been at loggerheads with ERC and some of its councillors over the handling of the new Barrhead High School project.

The plans have been mired in controversy from the start with costs skyrocketing from £21 million to £27 million, and a delay of more than two years.

This newspaper has documented the saga from the beginning and previously reported Mr Kirkwood’s concerns about the way the project was handled.

Now, he and his fellow volunteers have disbanded their group but not without firing one final salvo at the authority.

In a statement issued by FOCP, politicians, councillors and the authority itself are on the receiving end of a no-holds-barred outburst.

It reads: “The last four remaining members of FOCP have taken the decision to dissolve.

“The amount and extent of volunteering by all 13 members of the public, who volunteered to join FOCP, when FOCP were formed in January 2012 is phenomenal. “When people, mostly ERC, local councillors and politicians had a ‘pop’ at FOCP, for their own selfish and political reasons, it was the type of people behind the name FOCP who were being subjected to the abuse.

“ERC and some political figures have done a great deal of damage within the Barrhead and wider East Renfrewshire community.

“The damage is as a result of misinforming the public and by conducting a malicious smear campaign to divert people’s attention away from ERC’s mishandling of the new Barrhead High School project.

“Trust in public officials in East Renfrewshire could not be any lower.” The News has previously reported how ERC has appeared to botch the planning of the new high school, after it overlooked vital information on land ownership.

The school was originally expected to cost around £22 million but now that figure has rocketed to more than £27 million due in large part to a fruitless legal battle that saw the council take its case in favour of constructing the school on common good land to the Court of Session.

The authority consistently maintained that it held the title deeds to the site, dismissing claims — which were proven to be correct — that it was common good land.

The outcome did not end as the authority had hoped with the court ruling the land, which was gifted to the people of Barrhead by James Cowan of Rosshall in 1910, could not be used in accordance with its plans.

The council, under pressure to progress the plan in order to ensure the funding from the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) wasn’t withdrawn, was thereafter forced to abandon the original site.

Attention then swiftly turned to a new location in the south west area of the park, even though the authority had previously insisted there was no plan B.

However, FOCP members feel that they have been consistently used as a scapegoat for the delays, reaching a peak when councillors blamed “campaign groups” for the court decision going against the council.

FOCP had argued in favour of turning the old gatehouse into cafe, refurbishing the play areas, and even the re-introducing of a putting green.

The statement continued: “Unless there is a radical step change in culture within ERC there is no logic in FOCP continuing and dissolution for FOCP would appear to be the sensible thing to do. We do have one or two important loose ends to tie up first though and we will, unless certain circumstances radically change, be heading towards dissolution.

“However we do hope that the public will understand the reason why FOCP had no real choice but to dissolve.” A spokeswoman for East Renfrewshire Council said: “We are disappointed to hear the unjustified and unwarranted comments of the Friends of Cowan Park. From the outset we have been fully committed to working with them to bring about the many improvements proposed for the park, so we regret the stance they have taken.

“Cowan Park is a hugely important part of East Renfrewshire’s green space and we will continue to work with the local community in Barrhead towards making the planned improvements a reality.”