by political editor Paul Francis

A huge schools rebuilding programme that was expected to see an investment of hundreds of millions of pounds is in limbo.

There are fears many projects under the Building Schools for the Future programme could be abandoned or delayed for years because of government spending cuts.

Rebuilding plans for 14 secondary schools in Thanet and Gravesham - the second wave under KCC's plans - are now on hold. Plans to redevelop a further 16 schools in east Kent at a cost of £250m are also under uncertain, including two academies and several grammar schools.

County education chiefs admit it is now unclear whether ambitious plans to redevelop every Kent secondary school will go ahead as envisaged.

Some schools where rebuilding work was earmarked to get underway in the near future are now on hold and may be forced to remain in their existing buildings until the situation becomes clearer.

The potential impact of the spending freeze is set out in a report which was presented to a meeting of KCC's cainet today.

School chiefs say the educational impact of not going ahead with certain rebuilding schemes "are very significant and probably cannot be underestimated".

It also warns that some of the huge sums already spent developing schemes could now go to waste and KCC could pick up the tab for "significant abortive costs" associated with preparing bids for money and consultancy costs.

The authority has already completed key stages of the complex negotiating process and has had its business case approved by Partnership for Schools, the government body in charge of BSF.

But key meetings with the Treasury and PfS, at which the authority had hoped to move forward its plans, were postponed shortly after the election.

The government is reviewing all the previous BSF commitments made after January but says no decisions are expected until Autumn about their fate.

Education chiefs admit they are worried.

Cllr Sarah Hohler (Con), KCC cabinet member for children's services, said: "We obviously want the best for our children and schools had been led to believe that they would get new buildings.

"They will understandably be disappointed if they don't but we are doing all we can.

"I cannot say they will definitely go ahead but I can say we will be doing our best."

Education officials say abandoning or delaying rebuilding may make some schools less popular.

Many where work was planned were already suffering from falling rolls and are near in areas schools to have benefited from BSF.

"It will also put pressure on their viability of those schools that have yet to benefit from investment where they are already vulnerable," the report says.

Kent has the largest BSF project in the country and its planned investment would have seen a massive £1.8bn on imrpoving buildings.

Schools secretary Michael Gove repeatedly declined to answer questions about the future of the £55 billion programme this week, stating merely that the programme was "under review".

Asked when the review would be concluded, he said he "hoped to have the opportunity very soon to explain... exactly when the review I am conducting is being concluded".

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