Ealing's New High School is Shelved |
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And many other local school building projects scrapped
Ealing's new high school - which was scheduled to open in Greenford in 2014 - has been cancelled under the hit list of projects shelved by the new government. The new school which was to be built on the old GlaxoSmithKline sports and social club ground on Oldfield Lane North was part of Ealing’s £300 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Hundreds of school building plans have now been scrapped following the announcement from the new coalition government that England's BSF national school redevelopment scheme is being axed. Education Secretary Michael Gove said 719 school revamps already signed up to the scheme would not now go ahead. A further 123 academy schemes are to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Ealing has been particularly hard hit by the announcement. Schools affected:
West London Academy ...Academy - for discussion
Council Leader, Julian Bell, said around 5 million pounds had already been spent on the BSF programme and described it as a ' very bad day for Ealing.' Mr Gove said: "The Building Schools for the Future scheme has been responsible for about one third of all this department's capital spending. "But throughout its life it has been characterised by massive overspends, tragic delays, botched construction projects and needless bureaucracy." A review is being set up to see how capital funds can be used to rebuild schools more effectively. Shadow education secretary Ed Balls said the decision was a "tragedy" for teachers and parents who would have benefited from new facilities. 5 July 2010
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