LGA calls for council powers to create more schools
Joe Lepper
Friday, February 13, 2015
Government should reverse its decision to ban councils from opening new schools, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
The calls come as the government announces £1.6bn worth of funding to create new school places over the next three years.
The money can only be used to create new academies, free schools or to expand existing council-run schools.
Local authorities are prevented from opening new schools due to requirements in the 2010 Academies Act.
An LGA spokesman said councils are struggling to find more spaces in existing schools and the government needs to urgently hand back their power to open new schools before the shortage of available places hits crisis point.
“Councils and schools are already doing everything they can to provide places, in some cases going to extraordinary lengths to do so," the spokesman said.
“But we fear a tipping point could soon emerge when councils and schools can no longer afford the massive costs for the creation of places, nor find the space necessary for new classes, if this school places crisis is not properly dealt with.
“We do not want any child to be without a place. That is why, at a time when parents are making big decisions about their child’s future, we are calling on the government to commit to funding the creation of school places and hand councils the powers to open new schools, for both primary and secondary-age pupils, before time runs out.”
The funding package announced by the Department for Education allocates £1.3bn during 2017 and 2018, as well as £300m over 2015 to 2017 for places in areas with significant and unexpected increases in pupil numbers.
This follows £2bn already allocated to boost school places between 2015 and 2017.
Schools minister David Laws said: “The £1.6bn we are allocating is the next step in making sure local councils can plan for and create the new places that will be needed all the way up to September 2018.”
An LGA survey carried out last year found that nine out of ten people believe councils should be handed back the power to build new schools.
The LGA estimates £12bn will be needed to ensure there are places for all the 900,000 extra pupils expected in England’s schools over the next decade.
