£1.8m bureaucratic waste on schools

WARRINGTON Borough Council had to spend nearly £1.8 million on preparatory costs in connection with the Government’s now suspended Building Schools for the Future programme.
The spending – mostly on outside consultants – amounted to “bureaucratic waste” according to council leader Ian Marks and his deputy, Keith Bland.
In a joint statement they say: “There must be a more cost-effective way of building and improving schools to meet the needs of our young people.”
Six Warrington schools were due to be replaced or refurbished under the BSF programme – Lysander, Sir Thomas Boteler CE, William Beamont and Penketh high schools and Green Lane and Fox Wood special schools.
Coun Marks and Coun Bland (pictured, right) say they are very disappointed the Coalition Government has suspended the programme.
Part of the problem, they say, was that public expectations had been set too high by the previous Labour government because money was never available for such a massive scheme.
But inadequate school buildings remain – and they have asked officers to prepare a case for investment in the schools.
William Beamont High School is part of the unique Orford Park Project and must be the top priority, they say.
The joint statement claims there was anecdotal evidence of waste in the BSF programme.
“Prior to the election we were very critical of the requirement by central government to take on six different external consultants and we know from figures we have just submitted to government that we have already spent nearly £1.8m on preparatory costs.”
Although BSF had been stopped, the new government said investment in schools would continue.
Using its experience from the new Culcheth High School – which was built under BSF – the council believed it could put forward a number of schemes that could demonstrate excellent value for money without expensive, wasteful overheads.
“We would propose to offer these as pilots for a successor scheme to BSF. We believe the Coalition Government is listening and is open to suggestions of this nature.”
Coun Marks and Coun Bland say they intend to put forward their proposals in close co-operation with the schools and the town’s MPs.

Praise for MP
David Mowat has already raised the issue of Warrington schools affected by the BSF cutback in Parliament – and won praise from Education Secretary Michael Gove for doing so.
The Warrington South MP (right) in particular mentioned Penketh High School which, he said, was in urgent need of repair.
He asked what criteria would be used in the Government’s review of capital spending on schools and when details were likely to be reported.
Mr Gove noted that Mr Mowat had been “articulate and powerful on behalf of his constituents.”
He said Warrington people had been let down by the fact that BSF had spent so much on bureaucracy and not enough on bricks and mortar.
He went on: “The purpose of our capital review is to ensure that money reaches the front line more quickly, and that the dysfunctional system that was established under the last Government – which they took no steps to reform or abolish – is transformed.
“I believe that there will be an interim report in a few months’ time and a final report by the end of the calendar year, both of which will transform school buildings for the future.”