A £6 MILLION new schools package for North Yorkshire has been put on hold by Department of Education chiefs.

The DoE yesterday approved the building of just nine new primary schools in the coming year - but Barlby Hill Top and Brotherton, near Selby, Ripon Cathedral CE and Kirby Hill CE, near Boroughbridge, were not among them.

The North Yorkshire package is to be funded under the new Private Finance Initiative (PFI), which will see a private developer design, build, finance and maintain the new schools in exchange for payments over 25 years.

The county council's head of education policy and development, Bernadette Jones, said today she was disappointed the four had not made the approved list for 1998/99.

Although it was a setback, they were pressing ahead with the whole package and hoped to get it approved for the following year 1999/2000. Ms Jones said: "The DoE has given us permission to advertise the contract in the European Journal next month, inviting contractors to put in bids.

"We're now hopeful we'll make the June list for projects to be signed between April ,1999, and March, 2000.

"I'm still confident we will get all four schools built by September 2000, which has always been our target."

Kirby Hill, Brotherton and Ripon Cathedral schools have rising pupil numbers who are taught in old Victorian buildings or temporary classrooms, many in need of repair.

Barlby Hill Top's pupil roll has grown from 174 to over 270 in the last 14 years, and the school has nowhere to expand.

Headteacher Graeme Lowe said: "The DoE's decision is a setback, but I'm still hopeful we can get back on track and meet the original deadline we set ourselves.

"It's disappointing because we thought we had put together a good package."

Selby MP John Grogan said he had been in touch with the DoE officials, who had confirmed that North Yorkshire's package was on track for being approved for the financial year 1999/2000.

He said: "There are just one or two technical details that need tightening up, but one official described the schemes as sound propositions."

Mr Grogan said he would be lobbying the Education Minister, Stephen Byers, on the issue when he visited Selby on March 27.

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