Schools face maintenance backlog amid funding cuts

An estimated £73.3m will be needed to address the condition of classrooms within five years

Schools in North Yorkshire face a maintenance backlog of at least £22.3m, while funding continues to decline, according to a report.

A North Yorkshire Council report said government funding for repairs to 186 schools had fallen to £5.88m for the coming year.

This was down from £7.33m two years ago, partly due to council-run schools becoming academies.

The authority estimated that a further £73.3m would be needed to address the condition of classrooms within five years.

Specific repairs and replacements were not detailed in the report but it said a "large number" of council school buildings contained asbestos.

In addition to the grant, the Department for Education (DfE) awarded £1.2m directly to schools in the area.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said these schools had agreed to "contribute" this funding to the council, so they could be included in its maintenance programme.

The report stated: “In some cases, this means that schools will be asked to fully fund maintenance projects that have been identified through condition surveys as a high priority rather than other projects.”

The council's executive is set to meet on Tuesday to approve the Schools Condition Capital Programme for 2024/25.

'National issue'

Asked why schools had such a significant maintenance backlog, Conservative Councillor Annabel Wilkinson said the DfE funding had not met the maintenance and improvement needs of schools for many years.

She added: “This is not unique to North Yorkshire and is part of a wider national issue of school conditions.

"We have raised these issues with the DfE previously and will continue to do so.”

The council’s Labour group leader, Councillor Steve Shaw-Wright, recently highlighted a Selby primary school appealing to the community to donate materials and carry out maintenance and improvement works.

He said the council needed “to pull its finger out” and press the government for more money.

“The council needs to be lobbying their government which is cutting the budget, which is irresponsible,” Mr Shaw-Wright added.

The DFE has been approached for comment.

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