Nursery World - Row breaks out over cost of free schools

Disputes in the coalition over education spending intensified over the weekend after it emerged that Michael Gove had diverted £400m from the Basic Need budget for primary school places to the free schools programme.

At a time when there is a national shortage of primary school places the education secretary was accused of putting his own ideological beliefs above the needs of schools across the country.

The Basic Need budget is used by local authorities to expand primary schools or build new ones where there is a demand for places.

According to a Liberal Democrat source Mr Gove overruled the Liberal Democrat schools minister David Laws to take £400m from the Basic Need Budget for 2015-17.

Liberal Democrats claim that the cost of free schools has left an £800m 'black hole' in the Department for Education’s budget.

The Guardian reports that the education secretary has been warned by the chief secretary to the Treasury, Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander, to bring the budget for free schools 'back under control'.

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