30 schools to benefit from £8m programme
THOUSANDS of pupils and teachers at 30 city schools are set to benefit from a share of Swansea Council’s £8.1 million capital programme being invested in upgrading buildings and equipment across the city.
Council cabinet members, at their meeting on Thursday, are being asked to approve a package of capital maintenance improvements next week which also includes additional funding for community toilets and a new lift for the High Street multistorey car park.
Schools in almost every community in Swansea are set to benefit from a number of schemes ranging from boiler and electrical upgrades to new roofs.
Councillor David Hopkins, cabinet member for delivery and performance, said: “This is one of the biggest investments in years on capital maintenance improvements in our schools. Almost a third of all schools in Swansea will benefit from it.
“Not only will some of these upgrades improve the fabric of our school buildings, more than £1.1 million of upgrades to boilers at nine schools will help make heating systems more effective and more efficient – cutting bills and reducing schools’ carbon footprints.
“This programme is much bigger than we’ve been able to do in previous years, and it’s being made possible by an increased investment from £4 million last year to £5 million from the council plus another £3.1 million from Welsh Government.
“The council has said it will prioritise investment in our communities and neighbourhoods.
“This programme will help deliver on that promise.” He added: “All these school maintenance improvements will take place over the coming months so that pupils and staff can feel comfortable in their classrooms and get on with their learning.”
While the lion’s share of the capital maintenance budget is scheduled to go to schools, other council projects are also poised to benefit.
For example, £125,000 has been set aside to install a lift at the High Street multi-storey car park in the summer, and a further £40,000 is being earmarked for public toilets in Gorseinon, the city centre and in the Marina.
Councillor Jennifer Raynor, council cabinet member for education, added: “We said we would prioritise education and schools, and that is what we are doing with this funding.
“This investment is on top of the tens of millions of pounds spent jointly by ourselves and the Welsh Government on new school projects previously and in the coming years.
“The maintenance upgrades we plan to complete in the coming financial year are being paid for by the council, not from school budgets.”
She added: “This year alone we are building new primary schools for Tan y Lan, Gorseinon and Tirdeunaw.
“Gorseinon Primary is scheduled for completion this year, as is the new Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) centre in Cockett.
“Better school facilities help improve pupil attainment and that can only be a good thing for the future of our children and our city.”