Derbyshire council is urged to roll out £560,000 of extra funding for costly school renovation near Bolsover

The council is undertaking a ‘partial-rebuild’ project for Bramley Vale Primary School, on York Crescent, near Bolsover, which was originally billed at £5.5m in 2021 but it has incrementally increased to a total of nearly £9.8m so far including a £1,285,780 council contribution agreed in September, 2024.

But the council’s Cabinet is due to consider approving a further £560,000 funding contribution for the project at a meeting today (January 9).

A council spokesperson stated: “The rebuild of the school has required pupils to be relocated to a temporary learning village whilst the project is completed.

“During the process of these works, further structural work on the school hall has been identified resulting in an increased overall budget cost.

“Additional funding is required to complete the project and for the school to become fully operational to accept the pupils’ return.”

Cabinet member for Education, Coun Alex Dale, has said the project has become more challenging due to the school’s state of disrepair and inflation costs but he insisted the previous £1,285,780 council investment was sourced from capital funding and this would not affect the council’s forecast multi-million budget deficit for the 2024/25 financial year.

Coun Dale has explained the previous £1,285,780 of capital funding for the school scheme was money specifically allocated to improve the council’s assets and does not therefore have a direct impact on the council’s already tight revenue budget.

The latest proposed £560,000 of funding required for the project would be taken from the council’s Children’s Services Capital budget if approved.

Coun Dale has also previously explained that the project has faced construction cost inflation and additional classrooms have had to be put in place while the pupils have been based at a temporary learning village .

Since work began on the school, its hall has needed a new roof, structural steel work, and replacement windows and doors so the scale of the project had to be expanded, according to the council.

The council has considered adding a further wider phase to the overall project but it feels this option would have severe financial implications and the pupils would need to remain in the temporary learning village for longer which would create even more project costs.

Council officers have recommended the Cabinet approves the £560,000 of funding for the project when it meets to consider and decide upon the proposal today (January 9).