Recommendation 39

We noted that there is a diminishing number of schools under local authority control, and that, given their number of schools, 10 local authorities would not reach the threshold to receive maintenance and repair funding directly if they were a multi-academy trust. We asked DfE whether it was providing these smaller local authorities with additional support, given that they may lack dedicated resources for school estate management. DfE explained that local authorities have estates responsibilities in other parts of their operations, which should help them access the appropriate expertise. It confirmed that, at present, its Capital Advisers Programme is targeted only at academy trusts, although it has not ruled out the idea of extending it to local authorities.62 Making joined-up decisions about school closures and school condition