WIREDGOV

A Local Government Association spokesman responded to last week’s announcement of £1.6 billion for the creation of school places needed by September 2018.

"Mums and dads rightly expect their children to be able to get a school place and this money will provide more certainty to councils as they plan the creation of school places. Councils and schools are already doing everything they can to provide places, in some cases going to extraordinary lengths to do so.

"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.

"Additionally, councils face a challenge creating places on time and in the right places when their hands are tied by red tape and they are short of money to do so. We need a single local capital pot to enable councils to provide new places, repair and rebuild schools in line with local needs and priorities.

"The scale of this crisis is too much for council taxpayers to pay for alone. Additionally, much of the decision making about new school places rests in the hands of the Government, whose funding for school places came late. As a consequence, councils are carrying a billion pounds worth of costs which puts pressure on other school services."

Notes to editors

1. The Government has recently announced the allocation of £1.3 billion for the creation of school places for 2017-18. It follows an allocation of £5 billion for the period between 2011 and 2015 and £2.35 billion for 2015 to 2017. They have also announced an additional £300 million for local authorities with ‘significant and unexpected increases' in pupil numbers.

2. The LGA has previously identified the cost of creating places for the 900,000 extra pupils expected at England's schools over the next decade as £12 billion.

3. An LGA survey found councils had spent more than £1 billion plugging a national black hole in school places funding.

4. LGA data analysis last March showed that unless more places in secondary schools are created, an increasing number of authorities will be facing a shortfall in secondary places.

5. In March 2014 the LGA published The council role in school place planning, which explores the work councils are doing to provide school places.

Contact
Ruth Pott-Negrine
Senior Media Relations Officer
Local Government Association
Tel: 020 7664 3351
Mobile: 07979 803158
Out of hours: 020 7664 3333
Email: ruth.pott-negrine@local.gov.uk
Local Government House, Smith Square, SW1P 3HZ
www.local.gov.uk