By Richard Staines
13 July 2010
Work started by councils on the cancelled school building programme should not be wasted, the Local Government Association said today.
The LGA wants ditched Building Schools for the Future plans to be considered under any new capital funding programme for schools.
A snapshot survey of 67 councils by the association showed that more than £160m had already been spent on legally required paperwork and preparation for BSF projects, which were cancelled last week.
Shireen Ritchie, chair of the LGA’s children and young people’s Board, said: ‘Councils cannot now send good money after bad, so any future plans for school rebuilding should use preparatory work which has been done already as far as is practical.’
The Building Schools for the Future scheme required detailed public consultations and architectural plans to accompany submissions.
According to the LGA, town halls had to complete 60 separate documents, submit ‘strategic overviews’ to government and create project boards to oversee their submissions.
The LGA also wants schools whose BSF programmes have been scrapped to receive a clear explanation of why their projects were no longer considered viable. Such schools should also be given guidance on when they might next attract investment.
Ritchie said: ‘Many councils and schools are currently in limbo, with no clear idea when or if long-held hopes of new, modern buildings will go ahead. It’s crucial now that local areas, schools and the families that use them get some straight answers about what they can expect to be done to improve and maintain the schools their children spend hours in day after day.’
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘The capital review that is currently under way will look at all possible options for moving forward. This is not the end of school building, just the end of the wasteful and bureaucratic BSF programme.’
13 July 2010
Work started by councils on the cancelled school building programme should not be wasted, the Local Government Association said today.
The LGA wants ditched Building Schools for the Future plans to be considered under any new capital funding programme for schools.
A snapshot survey of 67 councils by the association showed that more than £160m had already been spent on legally required paperwork and preparation for BSF projects, which were cancelled last week.
Shireen Ritchie, chair of the LGA’s children and young people’s Board, said: ‘Councils cannot now send good money after bad, so any future plans for school rebuilding should use preparatory work which has been done already as far as is practical.’
The Building Schools for the Future scheme required detailed public consultations and architectural plans to accompany submissions.
According to the LGA, town halls had to complete 60 separate documents, submit ‘strategic overviews’ to government and create project boards to oversee their submissions.
The LGA also wants schools whose BSF programmes have been scrapped to receive a clear explanation of why their projects were no longer considered viable. Such schools should also be given guidance on when they might next attract investment.
Ritchie said: ‘Many councils and schools are currently in limbo, with no clear idea when or if long-held hopes of new, modern buildings will go ahead. It’s crucial now that local areas, schools and the families that use them get some straight answers about what they can expect to be done to improve and maintain the schools their children spend hours in day after day.’
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘The capital review that is currently under way will look at all possible options for moving forward. This is not the end of school building, just the end of the wasteful and bureaucratic BSF programme.’
