Firm paid £430,000 by council for doing nothing

NEARLY £500,000 of public money has been paid to a building contractor over the last six months, despite the fact that it has been unable to do any work in that time.

Wakefield Council hired McConnell to fix the leaky school roof at Sandal Magna Community Academy in the city in November 2019. The work then halted last summer when rot was discovered in the main teaching block, which left the building unsafe to use and required investigation. The builders have yet to return.

However, a report on the issue has revealed a clause in the builder’s contract means the council is still having to pay McConnell £17,500 a week.

Since October, the company, which is headquartered in Scotland but works across the UK, has claimed £430,000 through the clause.

The report, which will go before Wakefield councillors next week, said a decision on whether to plough more cash into the roof repairs, or abandon the contract completely, needed to be made urgently.

Pupils at Sandal Magna, which is on Belle Vue Road in the city, have been taught in temporary classrooms since September, when Covid restrictions have allowed them to attend.

Some year groups have even been had lessons in a council office building in nearby Barnsley Road, because of the lack of available space.

The school has been hit by repeated closures because of the original problems with the roof, despite the premises having only been built in 2010.

Two contractors previously tasked with carrying out repairs went out of business,