Warning of two-tier system as regions are left behind

Education authorities across the region are braced for cuts or dramatic changes to the way the Building Schools for the Future cash is allocated, in a Government spending review.

When the BSF programme was first launched, Ministers said it would bring every secondary school in the country up to 21st century standards.

Yorkshire has received more than 1bn which has helped to build dozens of new schools in Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield.

There are 11 of the 15 education authorities in the region which have been entered into the rebuilding programme.

Council bosses are now warning, however, that major cuts to BSF, expected in the autumn, could leave the country with a two-tier system with half the nation's schools missing out.

Calderdale, the East Riding, North Yorkshire and York are on a waiting list of 70 councils which are still to be included in the programme.

Malcolm Sims, the East Riding's BSF director said: "One thing that is clear since the new Government came in is that there is an increased emphasis on turning schools into academies. The level of funding available for rebuilding schools through that is questionable

"It will be a strange situation for half of the country to have received BSF funding and the other half not to be given it. It would create a two-tier system."

Mr Sims said he expected the Government would continue with a school rebuilding plan but on a smaller and slower scale than the existing BSF programme.

East Riding's BSF plans would have started with the rebuild and refurbishment of its priority secondary schools in Cottingham, Goole, Withernsea and Wolfreton and was expected to cost between 80m to 100m.

After talks with the Government agency responsible for delivering BSF projects, East Riding decided to complete refurbishment of Goole High on the understanding it would get the money back once it joined the national programme. Now this funding is in jeopardy.

Coun Jim Clark, North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for schools said the previous Government had made schools in urban communities a higher priority for BSF cash.

"If you look at the councils in the region that are still waiting - ourselves, the East Riding, York, and Calderdale, it says it all.

"We hope the coalition has a more generous attitude toward rural areas than the last Government which favoured inner-cities because of the perceived deprivation, but we have areas of deprivation in North Yorkshire. If we had been accepted onto the programme our BSF plans would have started with a scheme in Scarborough."

Uncertainty over BSF also extends to councils already accepted onto the programme.

Kirklees Council's leader Mehboob Khan is still waiting for a reply from Education Secretary Michael Gove after seeking assurances its 280m plans for 13 secondary schools would still be funded.

Wakefield was the most recent council in Yorkshire to join the scheme, in November last year, but has not yet had an outline approval. Rotherham's 224m rebuilding plans were given outline approval in April.

HOW BSF WORKS

Building Schools for the Future was intended to rebuild or refurbish every secondary school in the country to "21st century" standards.

Local councils bid for funding from the Government and projects are delivered through the Partnerships for Schools (Pfs) agency.

In order to be accepted onto the programme councils have to produce a "Strategy for Change" report outlining their goals. Authorities then have to produce an outline business case and then select contractors to carry out the work.

Final approval for BSF schemes is known as "financial close". Once a council has reached this stage it can begin building work.

While in opposition the Tories claimed this process was too bureaucratic.