Balls calls on Gove to re-think school buildings axe

Shadow Education Secretary Ed Balls called on the Government yesterday to "think again" and re-establish a school building programme, telling ministers: "Our children are worth it."

By The Newsroom

Published 29th Sep 2010, 22:24 BST

Updated 29th Sep 2010, 22:24 BST

Education Secretary Michael Gove axed Labour's 55bn Building Schools for the Future initiative in July.

At the party's annual conference in Manchester, defeated Labour leadership candidate Mr Balls attacked Mr Gove's decision and said it was not too late to change his mind.

In advance extracts of the speech, Mr Balls said: "Because of Michael Gove's short-sighted and arbitrary and unfair decision to scrap the Building Schools for the Future programme, over 700,000 children in 700 schools up and down our country will now not be getting the new school building they were promised.

"In Sandwell and Liverpool and Nottingham and Brent and Wakefield and in 80 local authorities round the country, Michael Gove has now told hundreds of thousands of children - sorry, but you are not worth it."