New research by the Local Government Association (LGA) reveals that councils have abandoned building projects, cut back on school maintenance and borrowed money to pay for extra school places in their area.
The Association conducted an online survey of chief finance officers in the 150 English councils with LGA membership.
When asked if funding provided by the Department for Education had met the full cost of providing school places between 2011/12 and 2016/17, more than three-quarters of councils said it had not been enough.
The total amount of money survey respondents reported they were short by was £1,062,086,377. The total shortfall across England is likely to be higher, says the LGA.
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