Wolverhampton schools hit by big cuts

Devastating funding cuts will hit plans to rebuild and refurbish every secondary school in Wolverhampton, it can be revealed today.

The £370 million Building Schools for the Future scheme for all 26 city secondary schools survived the axe by the coalition government.

Areas like Sandwell had theirs scrapped completely.

But it has now emerged the projects will be dramatically scaled back due to the government demanding cuts of up to 40 per cent.

Wolverhampton City Council today admitted it was considering abandoning plans to rebuild some schools as well as providing only minor, rather than major, refurbishments to others.

Bosses are also pleading with the government not to cut the budgets for Coppice, Wednesfield, South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy and Braybook schools, which have already received planning permission.

Projects where work has already started to create new buildings for Highfields Science Specialist School and Pennfields Special School, and the refurbishment of King's School and Tettenhall Wood School, will not be affected.

Tim Westwood, the council's programme director for BSF, said today: "The efficiencies we will be able to make will vary from one school to another and will very much depend on the needs and requirements of the individual school.

"It is clear schools in need of major refurbishments will have to take priority over schools in a better condition, but we want to ensure that every BSF school in Wolverhampton will still receive great benefits from the programme, even if the work we are able to do may be slightly reduced."

Wolverhampton South East Labour MP Pat McFadden this afternoon warned the funding cuts would be "hugely damaging".

EXCLUSIVE by Daniel Wainwright