Maintenance Cuts Could See Schools Close

22 March 2019, 07:22 | Updated: 23 March 2019, 06:10

Cumbria County Council says it's had to borrow £16million over the last five years, just to keep schools safe.

It's criticised the government for cutting its annual maintenance budget by 30%

The authority's warning in future schools will close because they can't be kept wind and water tight.

Responding to the report Leader of Cumbria County Council, Stewart Young, said: “Schools maintenance in this county is a slowly unfolding crisis because of funding cuts by the government. Over the last five years almost 30% of our schools maintenance funding has gone, reduced from £6.7m to £4.7m a year. We are now having to borrow money, over £16m since 2014/15, just to ensure that our schools are safe, wind and water tight. This is unsustainable.

"Looking to the future we are going to reach a point, because of the age of many of our school buildings and the effect of government cuts, that schools may have to close because they are uninhabitable. That is a damning indictment of government policy and gives lie to their claim to be investing in schools. Children in this county deserve much better than this and I will be raising the issue when I meet with Cumbria’s MPs later this month.”