Liverpool loses 1500 new jobs after schools scheme axed

Scrapping the plans will cost jobs in construction, design and administration

More than 1,500 potential new jobs have disappeared after Liverpool's secondary school building programme was axed, according to the city council.

Plans for 26 schools to be rebuilt or modernised under the Buildings Schools for the Future programme were shelved by the Government on Monday.

The council said 1,320 construction and maintenance jobs, and 200 apprenticeships would not be created.

More than £410m investment has also been lost, the council said.

A Liverpool City Council spokesman said: "In addition to the £350m school building investment, a further £50m of ICT investment and £10.5m of cleaning and maintenance management contracts will also be lost"

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.

'Lobby government'

"The true number of workers affected will be far higher because a large amount would have been part time and for fixed periods.

"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."

A £150m rebuilding scheme for six schools under wave two of Building Schools for the Future will be completed.