The original cost of an on-going multi-million pound renovation scheme for a primary school has nearly doubled after Derbyshire council has had to agree a further £560,000 funding contribution while pupils are still having to be taught at a temporary learning village.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet gave the go-ahead for the funding at a meeting, on January 9, to support the scheme at Bramley Vale Primary School, on York Crescent, near Bolsover – the cost of which has incrementally increased from £5.5m to a total of more than £10m so far.
A council spokesperson stated in a recent report: “After full consideration of all options, allocation of additional funding to complete the project and return the pupils to a fully operational school prove to be both cost effective to the overall project, and beneficial to pupils’ learning and staff wellbeing.”
The ‘partial-rebuild’ scheme was originally billed at £5.5m, in 2021, but it increased to nearly £9.8m in September, 2024, with a further agreed £1,285,780 council contribution and it is now set to receive a further £560,000 of council funding.
Challenges have included the school’s state of disrepair and inflation costs but Cllr Alex Dale, Cabinet member for Education, insisted the £1,285,780 council investment was sourced from capital funding and would not have affected the council’s forecast multi-million budget deficit for the 2024/25 financial year.
The latest agreed £560,000 will also be sourced from capital funding and will be taken from the council’s Children’s Services Capital budget.
Challenges have included construction costs, inflation and the need for additional classrooms while the pupils have been based at a temporary learning village, according to the council.
The council has previously explained the school needed a new roof for the hall, structural steel work, and replacement windows and doors meaning the project had to be expanded.
Derbyshire County Council had considered introducing a wider, longer-term phase to the project but the authority felt this would have created severe financial implications and the pupils’ return to the building would have been delayed further.
A council spokesperson added: “Additional funding is required to complete the project and for the school to become fully operational to accept the pupils’ return.”
