COUNCILLORS are lobbying the government to help the town’s authorities meet the rising cost of construction before it jeopardises its school expansion programme.

In a letter sent today Reading Borough Council’s education leader Cllr John Ennis implored the education secretary to help towards the extra £9m which are needed.

The original £61m cost of the scheme to accommodate 2,500 more pupils is now said to be to £70m because of an acute labour shortage in the south east, leading to higher building costs.

Cllr Ennis said: “The 20 per cent rise in estimated construction costs over just three months speaks for itself and, unless extra government funding is made available, it presents some very real problems for Reading’s school expansion programme.

“Expanding the number of school places is not something we as a local council have any choice on. The number of nought- to four-year-olds in Reading has increased by more than one third in just 10 years. That is the second highest rise in the whole of the South-East and the council has a duty to provide a school place for every one of those children.

“Things have moved on significantly since early last year when funding decisions on school expansions programmes were made by central government. Construction costs have spiralled since that time continuing to rise by the day. This is something we as a local council have absolutely no local control over and it is only right that central government acknowledge this as fact and provide local councils like Reading with adequate funding to meet the demand for school places.”