BSF ruling warmly welcomed

The High Court ruling against education secretary Michael Gove’s decision to scrap the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project (see Labour Research, August 2010, page 4) has been warmly welcomed.

Darren Cooper, leader of Sandwell Council, one of six authorities that brought the case, felt vindicated over the money spent fighting a decision that, in the court’s eyes, amounted to an “abuse of power”.

Unions representing employees in the education sector were just as pleased, with the GMB school support staff union predicting that other councils and individual schools that have had their promised buildings snatched away would now seek to have them reinstated.

GMB national officer Sharon Holder said: “There was a huge outcry when Michael Gove pulled the plug on plans to improve secondary schools and now he has had his come-uppance.”