School energy bills rise by more than half in Milton Keynes – as inefficient school buildings shown to be wasting energy

School energy costs have risen by more than half in Milton Keynes over the past academic year, new figures show.

Figures from the Department for Education show £2.34 million was spent on energy for local authority-run schools in Milton Keynes in the 2022-23 academic year – up 58 per cent from the £1.49 million spent the year before.

This was the highest figure since at least 2015-16, when records were first available.

Across England, expenditure on energy for local authority-maintained schools hit £485million in 2022-23 – a 61per cent increase on the year before, when £302million was spent.

Almost every local authority saw a rise, with 74 per cent recording their highest spending on record. One – Bolton – saw expenditure nearly triple compared to the year before.

The Local Government Association (LGA) – a membership body for local councils – said schools have been voicing concerns over financial stability.

LGA Children and Young People’s Board chair, Louise Gittins, said schools are facing higher costs from "fuel, energy and food, alongside the need to fund agreed staff pay rises, and support for a growing number of pupils experiencing disadvantage."

MK schools spent £116 per pupil on energy in 2022-23, up from £74 the year before.

The LGA urged further Government support for schools in the upcoming Spring Budget.

Separate analysis of energy efficiency ratings suggests many English school buildings are underperforming.

Across England, a fifth of school buildings receiving display energy certificates last year were in the lowest, most polluting categories (E to G) – meaning they’re not up to standard. However, this does represent an improvement – in 2018, around a third of ratings were in these categories.

DECs are designed to show the energy performance of public buildings, using a scale from ‘A’ to ‘G’ - ‘A’ being the most efficient and ‘G’ being the least.

Of the 16,700 buildings receiving a certificate, just 55 were rated A, and 831 received a B.

In Milton Keynes, 11 of the 98 school buildings rated last year were in the worst categories – emitting the most carbon dioxide and wasting more energy.

An estimated 58 per cent of schools, including academies and independent schools, in the area had a building evaluated last year.

Larger buildings require energy certificates more regularly, so bigger schools may be overrepresented in the figures.

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said schools have been left to their own devices to deal with "leaky, draughty, energy inefficient buildings" and higher bills.

He said: "In the medium term we need a massive retrofit programme to make school buildings fit for the future – safe, energy efficient and able to play their part in creating a safe climate future for children.

"For many schools, however, the problems are such that rebuilding is the only answer, but the Government's record on this is woeful."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We know that schools have faced increased energy bills. We took account of this and made additional investment in total school funding to cover costs – a £4 billion increase in 2022-23, and a further £3.9 billion this year.

"School funding is rising to more than £59.6 billion next year – the highest ever level in real terms per pupil."