CONSERVATIVES PLAN SCHOOLS POWER SHIFT

Local authorities in England could lose many of their planning powers regarding schools if the Conservatives win the general election.

A draft of the party's planning policy, seen by BBC One's The Politics Show, says their schools secretary would take decisions on building new schools.

The party said building schools should not be stifled by unnecessary red tape.

Labour Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said the plans were "un-costed, unworkable and unfair".

Under the proposals, new schools would, in effect, be treated like major infrastructure projects.

The Conservative policy on planning, to be published later this month, is based on the idea of localism - bringing an end to national targets and giving freedom for local authorities to decide how much housing or commercial development they want in their area.

Unnecessary bureaucracy

But schools will be the exception to the rule, according to the latest draft of the document.

The party has pledged to allow parents and non-profit making organisations to set up new, independent schools wherever they want.

The Conservatives' planning system would remove potential obstacles to the development of new schools by curtailing the power of local authorities in this area, according to the document.

The leaked planning policy says "for the [education] policy to be successful it is essential that unnecessary bureaucracy is not permitted to stifle the creation of new community schools".

Under the policy, as well as planning decisions on new schools being taken by the secretary of state for children, schools and families, anyone would be able to turn an existing building into a school without the need for planning permission.

And when an existing school closed, that land would not be allowed to be used for any other purpose without the agreement of the schools secretary.

Shadow planning minister Bob Neill told The Politics Show said the party had made it clear it wanted to help parents and communities establish new schools.

More of this article can be found here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8502553.stm