Oral Answers to Questions

Simon Burns Excerpts

Monday 25th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gibb]

That is a matter for the local authority. We are allocating sufficient funding to the authority to ensure that there are sufficient school places. Where there is development, we expect there to be a contribution from the developers.

[Sir Simon Burns (Chelmsford) (Con)]

20. What plans the Government have to meet demand for school places in Chelmsford.

[The Minister for Schools (Mr Nick Gibb)]

As I have said, the Government are investing £23 billion in school buildings to create 600,000 new school places. Essex received £71 million between 2011 and 2015 to create new school places. It has been allocated a further £127 million for the places that will be required by 2018.

[Sir Simon Burns]

Although I am grateful for that answer, my question referred to Chelmsford, rather than Essex. Does the Minister have the figures for Chelmsford?

[Mr Gibb]

I am very happy to meet my right hon. Friend to go through the figures for Chelmsford. In Essex, we created more than 2,000 new places between 2010 and 2014. Many more have been delivered since then or are in the pipeline. I am very happy to discuss his constituency in more detail.