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Written question asked by Ben Goldsborough (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 8 January 2026. It was answered by Josh MacAlister (Labour) on Wednesday, 14 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Voluntary Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Written Parliamentary Questions 98665, 98666 and 98668, what recourse exists for Voluntary Controlled schools to carry out urgent repairs to the school estate when the local authority fails to provide funding.

Answer

The department is investing almost £3 billion per year in capital maintenance by 2034/35 to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.

As part of this, Norfolk Council received a School Condition Allocation of almost £5.5 million for the 2025/26 financial year to invest across its maintained schools, including voluntary controlled schools in South Norfolk constituency. We expect to set out allocations for the 2026/27 financial year in the spring.

The department expects local authorities to carefully prioritise investment based on evidence of need, so that school buildings remain safe, operational and compliant with relevant regulations. Voluntary controlled schools should speak to their local authority about any issues so that they are considered when prioritising current and future investment.

The department provides additional advice and support to responsible bodies on a case-by-case basis where there are significant and urgent safety issues with buildings that cannot be managed independently.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
103596
Session
2024-26
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Subjects
Finance Repairs and maintenance Voluntary schools
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk