6 September 2010
Councils in London are
lobbying for extra funding amid fears that government cuts will make it
increasingly difficult to provide school places for the capital’s booming
infant population.
The fresh calls come almost 18 months after PublicFinance broke the story about LondonCouncils' concern over the shortage of primary school places. The organisation later secured £140m of extra funding for primary schools for councils in London.
Steve Reed, London Councils’ executive member for children and young people, said it was ‘clearly a problem that won’t just disappear’.
He expressed on concern that
central government spending cuts could make it harder for schools to build.
‘These kids will be making
their way up the years through to secondary schools – and, frankly, we need to
do better for them,’ he said.
‘While the current focus is on cuts, this is an area where we need much more
investment, not less. The real test of a government is not how much it saves,
but what it chooses to spend its money on’
Reed estimates that at least £480m will be needed to ensure that every five-year-old has a school place over the next five years. Unless action is taken, London will have a shortfall of 28,000 primary school places by 2014/15, he says.
Schools are currently installing temporary classrooms to accommodate the extra children – up to 5,000 pupils are expected to be taught in non-permanent structures in 2010/11.
The organisation blames the
slowing of the housing and jobs markets, which have prevented some families
from selling their homes and moving out of the capital, along with an
unexpected rise in the region’s birth-rate.
Public Finance understands there have not been any formal meetings between London Councils and ministers since the coalition government formed in May. There is also no plan for new negotiations before next month’s Comprehensive Spending Review is finalised.
However, a capital spending review
was launched by Education Secretary Michael Gove in July to ensure that ‘every
school place is fit for purpose and that rising numbers, especially in primary
education, are addressed.’
The review is due to publish its interim recommendations this month, and will release its final report late this year or in early 2011.
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘The government recognises the urgent need to deal with this issue.’
