Councils are now being asked to meet 50% of the costs of the projects The Welsh Government's national school building programme, 21st Century Schools, will not go ahead as planned.Councils have been told to go back to the drawing board and re-submit plans for new schools, as well as to contribute significantly more funds.
Many school building and improvement projects are likely to be scrapped or delayed.
Education Minister Leighton Andrews told assembly members: "The environment has changed."
Each local authority submitted plans to transform their school stock, to the Welsh Government.
Councils were to contribute 30% of the costs of each project, with the remainder being paid by the Welsh Government.
However, BBC Wales revealed in December that a shortfall of hundreds of millions of pounds was expected.
Continue reading the main storyAuthorities must be given the opportunity to review the timing and content of their planned investments so as to take the hard decisions early...”End Quote Leighton Andrews Education Minister It came after a previous Welsh Government promise to ensure every school building was "fit for purpose" by 2010 was not met.
Local authorities have now been asked to review and re-submit their plans.
They will now be asked to contribute 50% of the projects' costs.
In a written statement to assembly members, Mr Andrews said: "There has been a sharp reduction in capital funding imposed on the Welsh Government - taken together a reduction of 40% will occur across the current funding period.
"Against that background, the board and the Welsh Government consider that authorities must be given the opportunity to review the timing and content of their planned investments so as to take the hard decisions early that will ensure funding goes to the delivery of excellence in education not the maintenance of buildings."
BBC Wales has obtained figures from 18 of Wales' 22 local authorities which show that they intended to build schools worth ?1.255bn between now and 2015.
Over 15 years, 16 authorities planned to spend ?3.953bn.
It is likely that a significant number of school building and improvement projects will now be scrapped, says BBC Wales education correspondent Ciaran Jenkins.
No comments:
Post a Comment