Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on increasing the level of capital funding for school building (a) repairs and (b) maintenance.

Ensuring schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life.

The government has given a long-term commitment for capital investment through to 2034/35 to improve the condition of schools and colleges across England, including those overseen by local authorities. We are investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.

This is in addition to investment of almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme, with a further 250 schools to be selected within the next two years.

The department engages regularly with representatives from local authorities about capital policy and programmes.