Southampton's school rebuilding plans hang in the balance

Given the go-ahead by the Labour Government in the week before the General Election, it could now fall victim to the new coalition’s plans to slash the country’s deficit.

Only nine days before polling day, education bosses in the city were celebrating after its proposal to revamp eight city secondary schools was rubber-stamped without any changes by Whitehall.

But since the election the previous Government has been accused of agreeing to major cash initiatives in key marginal seats in the run-up to the election.

Now the new Tory-Lib Dem Government has announced it is looking at every spending decision made under Labour since the New Year, as it looks for ways to cut the country’s huge deficit.

Ye s t e r d a y Deputy Prime minister Nick Clegg said: “The outgoing Labour Government was just throwing around money like there was no tomorrow, probably knowing that they were going to lose the election, making extraordinary commitments left, right and centre, many of which they knew they couldn’t honour.”

The spending review has sparked fears that Southampton’s Building Schools for the Future plans, to overhaul five secondaries and improve IT facilities at three, could now be at risk.

It is hoped that providing new stateof- the-art facilities will help improve attendance and results, as well as providing a boost to the local construction industry.

During the election campaign, new Prime Minister David Cameron told the Daily Echo there was “no doubt” the Southampton BSF scheme would go ahead.

But also during the campaign the Tories’ new Schools Minister Nick Gibb said a Conservative Government could not guarantee any BSF project that has not yet reached financial close.

With deals not yet reached with contractors, Southampton’s project is still months away from that stage.

With the new Government saying it wants a comprehensive look at all recent funding decisions, city MP John Denham, who kept his Southampton Itchen seat by just 192 votes, is warning there is a risk the money will be pulled.

“These vital school projects are now hanging by a thread,” said the MP,who has now begun meeting with the heads of each of the five affected city schools and plans to put pressure on the Government not to cut any cash.

“It is essential that our city’s schools are protected and that this much-needed investment goes ahead,” he said.

“I will be taking every opportunity to raise this matter in the House of Commons and to put pressure on Government ministers.”

Southampton’s Tory education chief, Councillor Paul Holmes, said he understood the need for a review of spending decisions, but is confident the BSF programme will be unaffected.

He also plans to lobby ministers, but added: “The last Government spent money like water, with Cabinet ministers making decisions that civil servants couldn’t agree with, like Mr Denham’s decision to create unitary authorities where they’re not needed.

“Of course it’s right that a new Government comes in and checks those decisions represent value for money. But John is trying to scaremonger teachers and parents.”

Which Schools are Affected

Five secondary schools are in line to be completely rebuilt or remodelled through the first wave of the Building Schools for the Future programme in Southampton. They are:

■ Bitterne Park School
■ Chamberlayne College for the Arts
■ St George Catholic College
■ The Sholing Technology College
■ Upper Shirley High School.

Another three, which have all been rebuilt in recent years through private finance initiatives, are set to get new IT facilities. They are:

■ Cantell Maths and Computing College
■ Redbridge Community College
■ Woodlands Community College