Islington council’s leader has blasted the Government’s decision to spend millions setting up a new secondary free school near two other schools as ‘inexplicable’.
Whitehall has spent £33.5m purchasing the former office block in Highbury which it plans to convert into a 1000-pupil secondary school.
Cllr Richard Watts criticised the decision as ‘inexplicable’ and an ‘astonishing’ use of public funds.
‘This is an astonishing use of taxpayers’ money to pay what seems to be massively over the odds for a building very close to already thriving schools,’ the councillor told LocalGov.
He pointed out that if a local authority did the same, they would be ‘taken to the cleaners by the district auditor’.
He argued the location is one of the few areas in London where there is no pressing need for more school places.
Cllr Watts also warned the costs would increase because of the poor condition the building is in.
‘I think it’s a pretty inexplicable decision at the moment because its not just the £33.5m they paid for the building, its also the fact the building is in a terrible condition and utterly unsuitable to be a school, so they’re going to have to pay an awful lot of money to convert it,’ he said.
‘Even then it’ll still be a bad building with no outside space or any of the other key facilities associated with a school,’ the councillor added.
