ATL

Welsh government slashes £4 billion school building programme

05 December 2011

The government in Wales is significantly cutting back on its school building programme amid "severe financial cuts", the BBC has reported.

Many councils have cut their budgets for the project in half after the government requested they resubmit their plans.

Councils have been told to go back to the drawing board because there is not enough money to fund the original £4 billiob 21st Century Schools scheme.

The Welsh government has also informed councils that the 30 per cent contribution they were originally asked to make towards rebuilding its schools is to increase to 50 per cent.

Calling it a "challenging time", Chris Llewellyn from the Welsh Local Government Association told the news provider: "The capital we would all like to see isn't going to be available so we have to make the best use of the funding that is there."

A statement from the Welsh government is expected in due course.

Meanwhile, the chair of the Welsh Language Board, Meri Huws, has handed in her resignation as she begins preperations for her new position as Welsh Language Commissioner.