Schools in Southampton will benefit from millions of pounds of new investment in state-of-the-art classrooms, arts, sports and ICT facilities over the next three years.

John Denham welcomed the funding boost for local schools and said that it was part of the biggest sustained investment in schools for a generation.

He added that Southampton City Council will get nearly £43 million of funding for schools capital over the next three years and that every school would benefit.  At least one primary school in Southampton will be newly built or refurbished over the next few years.

John Denham said:

“After decades of neglect and underinvestment we are transforming our schools so they are fit for the 21st century and ending once and for all the days of leaking school roofs, freezing classrooms and even outside toilets.

“Every school in our area will benefit from this funding boost, worth £42.8 million over the next three years.

“In the year 2010/11 alone we will be investing £20.3 million in Southampton on new classrooms, school buildings and IT facilities.

“But all this extra investment would be put at risk by the Conservatives. They are proposing massive tax cuts that they can't fund, while making dozens of pledges to spend money they don't have. Their sums don’t add up and the black hole in their spending plans will put both our economic stability and our investment in schools at risk.”