Cost of making Welsh school estate ‘fit for purpose’ still unclear, says Assembly committee
3 December 2010
It should be made it clear exactly how much money it would cost to make all schools in Wales ‘fit for purpose’, according to a new report from the National Assembly for Wales’s Public Accounts Committee.
The cross-party group has been examining the processes used by the Welsh Government to decide and implement capital investment in schools
The Committee concluded that while the recently established 21st Century Schools programme has gone some way toward addressing weaknesses in past strategies – there are still gaps which need filling.
Among the recommendations contained within the report are:
The Welsh Government should establish the true cost of bringing schools in each local authority area up to the agreed ‘fit for purpose’ standard;
The Welsh Government should agree a timescale for all schools to meet the ‘fit for purpose’ standard;
It should encourage closer collaboration between local authorities to deliver required standards with less central support from the Welsh Government, and;
Provide clear guidance on the issue of surplus school places to ensure a coherent approach across Wales.
Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Jonathan Morgan AM, said: “It is vital, now more than ever, for the Welsh Government to establish a clear and definitive process for bringing all school buildings across Wales up to scratch.
“The 21st Century Schools programme was brought in at a time when more funding was available for large-scale projects.
“We urge the Welsh Government to show how that programme has been adapted in this changing financial climate.
“We also want to see exactly what being ‘fit for purpose’ means and when this much-needed standard will be attained.”
The Public Accounts Committee inquiry followed a report presented by the Auditor General for Wales in July this year.