Gove rules out school projects despite legal fight

Education Secretary Michael Gove said he appreciated that the authorities would be “disappointed” by the decision, but added he wanted to ensure “absolute fairness” across the country when handing out funding for school buildings.

Mr Gove said he would cover the costs incurred by the authorities after the contracts were terminated.

He also revealed that an extra £500m will be given over to create more school places in the areas affected by rising birth rates.

A new building programme will also be launched focused on schools in the worst conditions.

The announcement comes five months after the six councils – Waltham Forest, Luton Borough, Nottingham, Sandwell, Kent and Newham – took Mr Gove to the High Court to challenge his decision to scrap the £55bn Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme.

Mr Justice Holman ruled that Mr Gove had unlawfully failed to consult the councils before imposing the cuts.

The judge said that in five of the cases the failure to consult was “so unfair as to amount to an abuse of power”,

He ruled that Mr Gove must now reconsider his decision, but added that any final judgment over the future of the projects remained with the Government.