Nick Harvey MP

OPEN LETTER TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Dear Secretary of State for Education, I am sure you will be aware that, following your announcement on the 5 July, your decision to put a stop to many school building projects in the "Building Schools for the Future" (BSF) programme has caused wide spread concern, not least in two communities in North Devon.

I am therefore writing to seek clarification of several issues, and to draw your attention to the particular circumstances that apply in these cases.

I accept that putting these projects on hold in light of the current deficit, or pending a review of how to achieve best value from such a programme, can be justified but that does not mean that the basic problem of inadequate school buildings disappears. It is important for the morale of the students, staff, governors and the wider community that the real and obvious need for these buildings to be replaced is acknowledged, and that alternative and transparent mechanisms be put in place at the earliest practical moment. I also think that such a course of action is important to the credibility of the Government, as unnecessary delay will only breed an atmosphere of cynicism. An indication of a time scale for the review and its subsequent implementation would be valuable in that respect.

It would also be beneficial if the Education Department could provide clear guidance to Local Authorities and individual schools and colleges in the process as to how to progress their plans, which in some cases will be in an advanced stage. Considerable amounts of scarce staff time and financial resources have been invested at the school and college levels, and by officers of the Local Authorities. It is important that expertise gained from the experience of compiling the bids is not lost and that the future process is not so long drawn out as to become unsustainable at a human resource or financial level.

In terms of my own constituency's situation I must point out that Devon was only very recently allowed to join the BSF project, with more urban areas having several years' head start. Indeed, Devon is still one of the lowest funded Local Authorities in the country (currently 143rd out of 145 for Government support), a situation that has remained for several decades. This has severely inhibited the county's ability to invest meaningfully in many of its schools, particularly when it was faced with wholesale rebuilding of schools inherited from the former County Boroughs of Exeter and Plymouth and swathes of Victorian primary schools across the rest of the county.

As a result, it was not entirely surprising that "temporary" classrooms erected to accommodate children evacuated from London in World War II were still in use at Chulmleigh College until just over a year ago. The fact that they were replaced was largely down to funds made available by the County Council selling the major asset of Exeter Airport. Until their replacement the college's budget was stretched to breaking point by the need for constant running repairs, and even so the rooms were cold and damp in winter and blisteringly hot in summer (as the windows had been screwed shut to stop them falling out). Modern temporary classrooms have now been put in place leaving the centre of the site ready for the redevelopment promised under BSF - a "work in progress" that deserves to be brought to a swift conclusion.

The situation at Ilfracombe is somewhat different as the Ilfracombe College is a 1960s concrete and glass structure of a distinctly industrial appearance. A new Creative Arts block has been recently added but the main building is now seen in even starker contrast as a consequence. Although steps have been taken to cosmetically alter the appearance of the complex, the need to replace the old building due to concrete cancer is still urgent. Along with the need to replace all the windows, again the cost of continual repairs has a significant impact on the overall school budget. This surely cannot be regarded as best value or in any sense sustainable.

As I understand it both these projects (and the others in the Devon LEP) were to be PFI funded and therefore their impact on public spending was much smaller than if they were funded directly by Government grant. In that respect the modest savings made may more than be off-set by the loss of the local economic stimulus (particularly to the depressed building industry) that would arise from the new construction.

I hope that you will provide the clarifications requested at the head of this letter and acknowledge that the situation pertaining to Devon's schools (and certainly the two cases described above) is special in light of the previous history of under-investment under successive Governments. This is not a plea for special treatment - just a request that Devon benefit equally from the opportunities that are made available to the rest of the country. I look forward to working with you to address these problems.

Yours sincerely,

NICK HARVEY

MP for North Devon