An independent inquiry into the closure of 17 Edinburgh schools over structural concerns is to begin after the summer break and conclude before the end of the year, the City of Edinburgh Council confirmed today.

Chief executive Andrew Kerr hopes to appoint an industry figure with experience of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) building contracts to chair the inquiry and determine its remit.

He is also understood to have pledged to campaign for Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), which is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of the schools, to cover the full costs of the inquiry.

A report about the schools crisis, which will go before councillors next week, outlines that the local authority has already incurred “significant costs”.

It adds: “The council is taking detailed legal advice, but the council’s position remains that it will not be left footing the bill.”

Council leader Andrew Burns said he hoped the inquiry would be “quick, focused and sharp and comes back with a conclusion promptly” but it also had to be thorough.

“It needs to get to the bottom of how this has happened.

“I have said all the indications we are getting is that it’s a construction not a contract issue, but we need that formally established and we need to be sure that any lessons from this are learned not just by Edinburgh but by other local authorities.”

The local authority said all schools are due to open in time for the new term in August when the inquiry will begin.

The schools were closed last month over safety fears when a wall collapsed at Oxgangs Primary School and others were found to be missing vital wall ties.