£10m set to be invested in improving school buildings in Milton Keynes

The group running MK Council is proposing to plough £10m into improving school buildings over the next few years.

The announcement was made today by the newly-named 'MK Progressive Alliance', which is made up of Labour and Lib Dem councillors who are now running the council.

Some of the money will go on upgrading the school buildings meet climate targets, become more energy efficient, and fit in with the council's target of being carbon neutral by 2030.

The reminder will be spent on keeping the buildings in good repair.

Cllr Zoe Nolan, Labour Progressive Alliance Cabinet Member for Children and Families, will be making the £10m proposal next week. The combined vote of the alliance means its proposals will go through.

Cllr Nolan said many other councils in England have made cuts to repair budgets for community schools, while central government funding cuts to academies, who must fund their own repairs, mean many have not been able to afford to maintain their buildings. .

Last week a national report highlighted school buildings in England require over £11bn of repairs to bring them up to an acceptable standard, with £1.7bn needed in the South East alone.

“The Progressive Alliance is committed to ensuring every child has the best education, and that starts with well-maintained school buildings," said Cllr Nolan.

“Our £10m spending on school buildings is an investment in our local children. It is also an investment in our future, as the funding will be used not only to fix buildings, but to make community schools more energy efficient in order to help us meet our carbon reduction targets.”