Kingston will be handed more than £13m to help ease its school places crisis over the next three years, it has been announced.

The Government grant was part of an extra £2.35 bn on top of the existing £5 bn national budget to create more school places nationwide.

This is the first time councils have been given three-year allocations to help plan ahead for school places, the Department for Education said.

Richmond and North Kingston MP Zac Goldsmith said: “The last government ignored the fact that rising birth rates meant we will need thousands more school places in the coming years, and did little to prepare.

“It is great news for young people in the Richmond Park and North Kingston constituency that the Government has found billions of extra funding to ensure every child has a place at school so that they can fulfil their potential.”

But Kingston's Labour party leader Laurie South denied his party had failed to plan for the future when it was in Government.

He said: “What the Labour government did was to closely liaise with central government to see where schools were needed.

"There was close conversation between central government and local government and plenty of plans. It’s crazy, Michael Gove is thinking he can run it all on his own. ”

Neighbouring borough Richmond upon Thames will receive an £8.9m investment.

 

TODAY'S HEADLINES IN KINGSTON UPON THAMES