Education Secretary Michael Gove has set out full details of the school construction projects cut following the axeing of the £55bn Building Schools for the Future programme (see table below).
He said: “In the light of the public finances, it would have been irresponsible to carry on regardless with an inflexible, and needlessly complex programme.”
The key elements of the cuts are:
- 44 existing Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects which had reached financial close will continue, alongside sample projects from a further 14 close to this stage.
- All other 58 BSF projects covering nearly 700 schools will be cancelled with immediate effect.
- All academy projects in development which have not reached financial close will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- A comprehensive review of all capital investment in schools, early years, colleges and sixth forms to guide future spending decisions over the next Spending Review period (2011-12 to 2014-15).
The Secretary of State also announced that he will be ending funding for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment design advice service associated with the BSF programme.
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