A council will spend £14.8 million on thousands of school repair jobs following the collapse of its PFI provider.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's 25-year schools private finance initiative expired last October with many hand-back works still outstanding.

Transform Schools (Stoke) Ltd, the company which had been responsible for maintaining schools under the PFI, entered creditors' voluntary liquidation the following month.

The city council is now set to appoint new contractors to carry out £5.8 million of major works and specialist projects, and up to £9 million of minor works.

Council bosses agreed to take on responsibility for around 8,500 individual maintenance jobs, following discussions with schools and academy trusts in the wake of TSSL's collapse.

Legal agreements to finalise the allocation of works and the remaining PFI funds between all the parties have been signed with most trusts, with the last few expected to be completed next month.

Cabinet members will be asked to approve the council's programme of works and delegate authority to appoint contractors at their meeting next Tuesday.

A council spokesperson said: "We are pleased to have drawn up this comprehensive programme in partnership with schools and trusts.

advertisement

"If agreed by cabinet, it will we see remaining works completely in a timely manner.

"This one of the first and biggest PFI agreements of its kind. We have been open about the challenges we have faced but our priority has always been getting on with the work in hand, and ensuring the children, teachers and parents of this city have the high-quality school environments they deserve."

Eighty-eight schools in Stoke-on-Trent were covered by the PFI, which was launched in 2000. The scheme was originally intended to be a cost-effective way of maintaining the city's schools, but it has been hugely controversial, with both the council and TSSL being subject to criticism.

Schools were locked into making crippling payments, and were struggling to get TSSL to carry out some basic repairs long before the company's final collapse.

The agreed programme of works will include jobs that were subject to dispute over whether they were included in the PFI, with the council saying it is 'putting the welfare of pupils and teachers first'.

Works will start next month once the contracts have been awarded, and it is expected that the programme will completed by September 2027.

Funding will come from an existing £8 million capital fund for PFI works and a £6.8 million residual project fund.

According to the cabinet report, the council is 'determined to outturn within budget' through effective procurement and 'diligent deployment of resources'.

advertisement