FM Budgets Sucked into Black Hole

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02 September 2014 | Updated 01 January 1970

The Local Government Association (LGA) states that research reveals councils have abandoned building projects, cut back on school maintenance and borrowed money in order to pay for a school place for every child.

More than 75% of councils that responded to a LGA survey believe that they did not receive enough government money to create the extra school places needed in their area between 2011/12 and 2016/17.

To make sure no child has been left without a place, councils borrowed money, used cash earmarked for other building programmes, or created places with money intended to be spent on renovating crumbling school buildings and classrooms.

In some areas of England, particularly in London and the Southeast, changing demographics and an increased birth rate have led to particular pressures on school places. Last year, councils created an additional 90,000 primary places, but LGA analysis revealed a further 130,000 would still be needed by 2017/18, while 80,716 new secondary places will be needed by 2019/2020.

Councils have often added extra classes, using temporary buildings and in one case, even put a playground on a roof.

Through collaboration with all schools in the area councils have created thousands of school places, but more were still needed, contests the LGA.

The LGA asked councils if cash provided by the Department for Education had met the full cost of providing school places between 2011/12 and 2016/17. Some 77% of respondents said the money had not been enough.

"The lack of school places is no longer confined to primary schools but is spreading to secondary schools, and across the country we estimate more than 200,000 places will be needed,” stated Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA's Children and Young People's Board. "Councils face a challenge to create places on time and in the right areas, in a climate where they are also short of money to do so.

"The Government should budget for enough money to ensure something as vitally important as providing school places is not funded from other areas. This is an investment in the future which will benefit us all."

The LGA is also calling for councils to be given a single capital 'pot', with an indicative five-year allocation to mirror the next Parliament; to enable councils to plan creating school places effectively; councils to be given the powers to create new schools and work locally to find the best academy provider, if this is the preferred choice, and to be given a greater role in judging and approving free school proposals.

Article written by Mike Gannon | Published 02 September 2014

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