Dear Michael Gove

Your announcement on 5 July 2010 to end the Building Schools for the Future programme came as a devastating blow to our borough and in particular our schools community in Waltham Forest.

Waltham Forest has been involved in the BSF Programme since 2003. In this time we have successfully built or refurbished five schools bringing substantial education benefits to thousands of our pupils as well as the wider community.

We are keenly aware that school buildings are not the only influence on a strong education. Schools, parents and pupils have worked in partnership with the Council to drive our attainment upwards - with or without new buildings. But a modern teaching environment is important in continuing this progress and in providing our young people with the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Many of the remaining schools are set to complete within the next two years so the expectation of our schools community is at a very advanced stage. Indeed, some pupils were preparing to decant at the end of this month so the lack of an imminent alternative to BSF is bewildering to them.

Our particular circumstances include:

  • Our plans are at such an advanced stage that we had concluded an agreed outline business case which opened the way to immediate progress on some of our schools. This clearly incurred costs which will now be wasted if these schemes do not advance.

In excess of £13million in abortive costs are likely to be realised if there is no immediate capital funding of our schools programme.

  • There has been a steady and growing population in Waltham Forest which will result in a crisis of places available within the next three to four years if we do not expand many of our existing secondary schools. The whole programme would have increased our forms of entry by 14. This is a serious gap which we are under a legal obligation to fill and which needs urgent financial support if we are to meet future needs.
  • Many of the new schools that were due to be rebuilt or refurbished are in areas of very high deprivation.
  • We can demonstrate that our scheme provides value for money

I enclose a profile of each project. We believe that the government should immediately reconsider their decision due to the unique set of circumstances in Waltham Forest. These include:

  • A number of our schools are in the final stages of development, for example Leytonstone School was due to decant from its existing site to allow building works to commence only five days after your announcement.
  • We have completed six of the government’s nine stages which we believe to be far in advance of other authorities
  • Our Local Education Partnership has been in full operation since 2007 and we have an established contractor for the schemes
  • Due to the Government’s decision we are now at risk of litigation, adding further potential cost to the abortive expenditure we already face

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Chris Robbins

Leader of Waltham Forest Council