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Treasury pledges extra £10bn for England school repair Treasury pledges extra £10bn for England school repair
(35 minutes later)
The government has pledged to spend an extra £10bn on repairing school buildings in England.The government has pledged to spend an extra £10bn on repairing school buildings in England.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander told the Commons the money would mean the programme to re-build schools in most urgent need would be finished two years ahead of schedule.Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander told the Commons the money would mean the programme to re-build schools in most urgent need would be finished two years ahead of schedule.
Work on the 261 schools on the Priority School Building Programme would be completed by 2017, he said.Work on the 261 schools on the Priority School Building Programme would be completed by 2017, he said.
Councils and schools have complained about delays to the scheme. The scheme has been delayed, with work underway at just one school.
So far, construction work has begun at just one school, although the government says more will "follow shortly". Construction work at others will "follow shortly", the government says, and about 150 projects will start almost a year earlier than planned.
The scheme replaced the larger Building Schools for the Future programme, which was scrapped by the coalition government, which said it was "expensive and wasteful". The scheme replaced the larger £52bn Building Schools for the Future programme, which was scrapped by the coalition government, which said it was "expensive and wasteful".
The delays to the replacement scheme were due to problems raising private finance and the £10bn pledge is aimed at plugging that gap. The delays to the replacement scheme were due to problems raising private finance and the Treasury pledge of public funds is aimed at plugging that gap.
New school placesNew school places
Mr Alexander also told MPs one million new school places would be created in England in a decade.Mr Alexander also told MPs one million new school places would be created in England in a decade.
There is a severe shortage of school places in some areas, mainly at primary school level, linked to the rising birth rate.There is a severe shortage of school places in some areas, mainly at primary school level, linked to the rising birth rate.
The National Audit Office warned in the spring that a quarter of a million extra places would be needed in England by autumn 2014.The National Audit Office warned in the spring that a quarter of a million extra places would be needed in England by autumn 2014.
Mr Alexander said: "There are many other schools in need of repair and investment.Mr Alexander said: "There are many other schools in need of repair and investment.
"We will put £10bn behind this, enough to clear the urgent backlog, and we are investing too to create one million new places in a decade, across the country, including in Lancashire, Leeds and London.""We will put £10bn behind this, enough to clear the urgent backlog, and we are investing too to create one million new places in a decade, across the country, including in Lancashire, Leeds and London."
The Department for Education said later on Thursday that as a result of the spending review, it would be spending £7.5bn creating 500,000 additional school places by 2021 and that this was on top of the £5bn that will have been spent by 2015.The Department for Education said later on Thursday that as a result of the spending review, it would be spending £7.5bn creating 500,000 additional school places by 2021 and that this was on top of the £5bn that will have been spent by 2015.
This was the amount the department had asked for, officials added.This was the amount the department had asked for, officials added.
On Wednesday, the Chancellor announced that school spending would be "protected in real terms" and that there was funding to create 180 more free schools in 2015-16, on top of the 80 already open and 200 in the pipeline.
There will also be 20 more studio schools which young people can attend part-time while working and 20 more university technical colleges, aimed at providing high-level vocational education.
In the Commons, Labour MP Heidi Alexander said today's announcements did nothing to make up for "the dreadful short-sighted decisions that this government took when they first came to power three years ago".
"If investing in schools and investing in homes is so important, why was it one of the first actions of this government to axe the Building Schools For The Future programme?" she said.