A council has spelt out what it believes will be the full cost to its local economy of the Government’s decision to stop the national Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Nottingham City Council says the step will have a huge impact and it is liaising with the Department for Education to understand the full implications.

The council estimates that the 89 million pounds withdrawn in shelving the school building programme in the city could have been worth as much as 178 million pounds to the region’s economy through the multiplier effect. Graham Chapman, the council’s Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Resources, Economic Development and Reputation, said: “The BSF programme wasn’t just about the physical regeneration of Nottingham’s schools, it was about keeping the city working and creating jobs during these tough times.”

The council said the programme to rebuild and re-model city schools had created hundreds of jobs. It had also provided work placements for 58 apprentices from Nottingham and a number of sites had offered work experience placements for young people and those affected by homelessness. As much work as possible had gone to local companies and so far about 28 million pounds had been spent with companies with city postcodes and a further 48 million pounds with companies within a 50 mile radius of Nottingham.