Schools ‘being built for £5m less’ under new programme

NEW figures published today reveal that the government’s school building initiative has cut the cost of school construction projects by more than a third.

Thanks to the £2.4bn investment in the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP), which will see 260 of the most dilapidated schools nationally – including 36 in across Yorkshire and the Humber with around a £357m investment in the region – rebuilt or refurbished, school building projects are costing 35% less than those built under the previous school building initiative – the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Under PSBP the average cost of rebuilding a secondary school is around £15m – with each one saving around £5m of taxpayers’ money.

Under the BSF it took three years for building work to begin. Under the PSBP this time has been slashed to around one year.

In 2010, education secretary Michael Gove axed the national school rebuilding programme for England, BSF, saying it was wasteful and bureaucratic. The programme was Labour’s £55bn grand plan to rebuild every secondary school in England.

Figures today also reveal that the government expects to see around a £7bn boost for the UK economy from the initiative – based on projections from the CBI that show that for every £1 spent on construction projects around £3 of economic activity will be generated.

Education secretary Nicky Morgan said: “Investing in the Priority School Building Programme is not only delivering great new schools that will help prepare thousands of young people for life in modern Britain, but it is also a key part of our long term economic plan to secure a stronger economy, creating jobs and security for hardworking people.”
 
The government has announced a second phase of the programme, worth around £2bn. Applications are currently being considered and successful applicants will be confirmed early next year.
 
The PSBP is a centrally managed programme set up in 2012 to address the condition of the schools most in need of urgent repair. Through the PSBP, 260 schools will be rebuilt or have their condition needs met. As of December 2014, 14 school buildings are now open and 59 are under construction.

 

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