Management
The BSF programme had historically been dogged by sporadic or no management at the top, with Richard Bowker (Chair and Chief Executive of the Strategic Rail Authority) abandoning his post just eight months into the role. However, Bowker was replaced in November 2006 by Tim Byles, who joined from Norfolk County Council, where he had been CEO for 10 years. Byles continues to lead PfS.
Initially all Local Authorities (LAs) had been placed in a national programme consisting of 15 waves. The programme has not been proceeding as rapidly as had been expected and both the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Partnerships for Schools (PfS) began looking closely at Local Authorities' capacity and readiness to deliver projects. During the Spring of 2008 the DCSF consulted on the management of future waves of BSF and subsequently invited all LAs to submit an Expression of Interest to joint the BSF programme sooner than the original programme might have indicated. The announcement of the new programme arrangements was made on 2 March 2009 and at subsequent briefings to Local Authorities it was made clear by PfS that demonstrable "readiness to deliver" is to be a key condition for future pledges of funding. BSF Programme
A tranche of forty Local Authorities were invited to make a "Readiness to Deliver" submission by 8 May 2009. Of those that did only Hampshire, Barnet, Bolton, Peterborough, Wigan and Sunderland were successful. In early August 2009 the Authorities that had been unsuccessful, as well as the Authorities who had delayed making a submission, were advised that all submissions for the remaining twelve places to be allocated during the financial year ending on 31 March 2010 were to be made by 17 September 2009. On 30 November 2009 it was announced that eleven local authorities – Brent, Darlington, Devon, Havering, Kingston, Croydon, Norfolk, Plymouth, Sefton, Wakefield, and Warrington – will be joining the BSF programme for the first time, with another two – Lancashire and Tameside – starting the next phase of their BSF schemes. Planning and building on these schemes will begin between January and March 2010 and brings the total number of local authorities in England which are active in BSF to 96.
The revised management arrangements for BSF have evidently reinforced the DCSF's faith in PfS as the Minister for Schools announced in June 2009 that PfS is to assume responsibility for the management and delivery of all school building and refurbishment programmes. Day-to-day responsibility of all schools capital programmes, including the Primary Capital Programme, transferred from the DCSF to PfS on 1 October 2009.
The National Audit Office has noted management issues regarding problems in meeting targets, overuse of expensive consultants, and high staff costs (the Chief Executive and top four directors receive about £750,000 pa in total).
There is considerable conjecture, given remarks from Michael Gove, Shadow Education Secretary, about what direction the BSF programme may take - and what the role of Partnerships for Schools might be - should there be a change of national government in the 2010 general election.
Read more about this topic: Building Schools For The Future
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