FUNDING for repairs to York schools is to fall by almost £10 million as the public spending axe continues to swing.

The decrease, one of the largest in the north-east of England, will force a review of some projects planned by City of York Council for next year.

Decisions on how the drop in funding, from £15.75 million during the current financial year to £6.17 million in 2011/12, will affect the city are set to be made in the new year, but the grant cuts could mean tough choices on everything from essential maintenance work to providing extra classrooms.

While York will see a reduction of 60.8 per cent in its schools grant next year, North Yorkshire County Council’s allocation tumbles by 46.3 per cent, from £41.38 million to £22.23 million.

“The Department for Education has confirmed the total capital grant allocation for schools and the education authority in York will be £6.17 million for 2011/12,” said a spokesman for the city council’s children’s services section.

“This represents a significant reduction on previous levels of funding. The announcement does not impact on schemes which are currently underway, but some schemes which were planned for the future will have to be reviewed.

“The local authority will be considering the implications of this funding settlement at a meeting of the Schools’ Forum in February.”

Earlier this year, the new Joseph Rowntree School project was among those which avoided being hit by the axing of the Government’s Building Schools for the Future programme. Coun Carol Runciman, the council’s executive member for children and young people’s services, said: “We have been very successful in getting capital funding in the past and in receiving it when other areas have not, so we were bound to see a reduction.

“The sort of amounts we have previously seen are not going to happen again now. We will need to use the money we receive to ensure the fabric of our schools is maintained in as good a condition as possible, and we will work with schools and governing bodies to achieve this.”

Nick Seaton, who chairs the York-based Campaign for Real Education, said: “It’s widely understood huge amounts of taxpayers’ money have gone into education, and with the current financial squeeze, it’s sensible that only urgently-needed schemes get the go-ahead.

“But this makes it even more essential that every penny is spent wisely and with proper consideration and we wouldn’t want to see urgent schemes being pushed back, because it’s important for pupils and teachers to have a good school environment.”