Lib Dems Win Battle for Schools Cash

1.06.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 14th May 2008

Jubilant Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed the Government's announcement of a special £28 million grant for Milton Keynes' schools.

School build and finance cabinet member, Councillor Sam Crooks, said: "This will enable us to meet all of our immediate priorities including the new Rivers/Rickley primary school in Bletchley, the extension to Middleton Primary School (currently undergoing consultation) and a major extension to Walton High." In addition, a significant number of primary and secondary school maintenance schemes will now get the go-ahead.

A second Government announcement is expected in July on funding new school buildings for students over 16. Taken together, Milton Keynes Council hopes to recover around two-thirds of the £49 million withdrawn by the Government last October.

Liberal Democrat Council Leader, Councillor Isobel McCall, said: "We have achieved this by the quality of the arguments we presented to the Government. I want to thank everyone who has been involved in these difficult and tortuous negotiations."

"It has been a tough fight but we now have enough money to get cracking on building our much needed schools," concluded Sam Crooks.