Axing of schools scheme costs 1,500 jobs

IT is estimated the scrapping of Liverpool’s £350 million secondary school building programme will cost the equivalent of at least 1,500 full time jobs.

Plans for 26 schools to be rebuilt or completely modernised under Wave Six of Buildings Schools for the Future were abandoned on Monday, 5 July 2010, by Education Secretary Michael Gove.

An estimated 1,000 full time equivalent construction jobs would have been created in the design, construction and maintenance of the schools.

A further 320 full time equivalent posts through the creation of a Local Education Partnership (LEP) to deliver the scheme will now not happen, together with 200 apprenticeships.

In addition to the £350 million capital cost of the scheme, a further £50 million of ICT investment and £10.5 million of cleaning and maintenance management contracts will also be lost - bringing the total amount of finance lost to £410.5 million.

Council Leader Joe Anderson said:- “These figures show the huge impact of the cost of axing the Building Schools for the Future programme. It is not just our children’s education that is being put at risk, there is a huge knock on effect for the local economy at a time when the construction industry is crying out for contracts. The true number of workers affected will be far higher because a large amount would have been part time and for fixed periods. I am also concerned at the impact on the ongoing regeneration of the city, because decent schools help build solid communities where people want to live. Much of our housing market renewal programme was based around the school rebuilding scheme. We are also faced with a headache over what to do now with sites such as the former Littlewoods Building on Edge Lane which was earmarked to be the new location for Archbishop Blanch and St Hilda’s. We will be doing everything in our power to lobby the government and secure what investment we can now they have decided we cannot proceed with Wave Six. Many of the school buildings are in a poor state of repair and we have to do what we can to modernise them.”

Council officials estimate that every £1 that would have been spent on the scheme would have been worth £2.84 to the local economy in terms of construction.

A top level delegation has already been secured to lobby the government about the importance of the scheme.

Pupils from Liverpool Schools Parliament have been debating an emergency resolution about the issue on Wednesday at the Town Hall and are set to launch a campaign against the decision.

Building work on the six schemes under Wave 2 of Building Schools for the Future, worth around £150 million and currently under construction, is not affected.

BUMPER COLD WEATHER PAYMENT PAYOUT OF £86,324 FOR AGE CONCERN GAS CUSTOMERS IN WEST LANCASHIRE

FOLLOWING the coldest period in decades1, gas customers in West Lancashire on the Age UK Energy tariff, provided by E.ON, are set to receive a Cold Weather Payment in total of £86,324. Funded by E.ON, this sum will provide some financial relief to those in later life who faced higher energy bills through one of the worst winters on record.

This payment which will benefit Age UK’s gas customers is in addition to the Government’s cold weather payment.2

Sue MacIntyre for Age Concern Lancashire’s West Lancashire office says:- “Our gas customers are guaranteed a Cold Weather Payment of £10 in addition to the Government’s Winter Fuel Payment, which rises to £20 for customers aged 80 or above. When the weather is exceptionally harsh, we offer additional Cold Weather Payment3 which is paid out to all our gas customers aged 60 and over for each day the temperature drops below freezing between December and the end of February. This winter was one of the worst in recent times with record amounts of snow and temperatures dropping below freezing for a substantial number of days. We are delighted to be able to offer, with E.ON, some direct help to our customers in West Lancashire.”

This guaranteed payment, part of the Age UK Energy package, has been developed with E.ON, one of the UK’s leading electricity and gas companies. The Age UK E.ON Energy product offers a wide range of benefits to customers including information and advice on how to reduce energy usage, clear bills, no standing charges, tariffs for higher and lower users and tailored customer support.

Jim Macdonald Commercial Director at E.ON Retail said:- “Every cold winter brings with it potential difficulties for older people, which is why we’re delighted to continue to fund Cold Weather Payments, in partnership with Age UK. It’s our hope that these extra funds, as well as our ongoing energy advice and support, will really make a difference to older people for the coming winter.”

To find out more about products from Age Concern Lancashire’s West Lancashire office, including Cold Weather Payments, please contact:- 01695 571522 or visit:-

The Wellbeing Centre, Moorgate, Ormskirk, Lancs, L39 4RY.

Cross-reference information:-

1 metoffice.gov.uk

2 The government allows people on a low income to claim for Cold Weather Payment benefit to help people each week of very cold weather in your area. To find out more, people should visit:- direct.gov.uk.

3 The new daily amount for CWP is 43.1p per day which is equivalent to 3 hours free use of a gas fire (as at 28/2/10 when the payment was calculated).