Free Schools: Rents

(asked on 22nd March 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the public purse of rent paid by his Department for (a) land and (b) buildings for free schools in each year since 2010.


Answered by
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait
Nadhim Zahawi
This question was answered on 28th March 2019

The free schools programme was introduced in 2010 with the first free school opening in September 2011. As of 1 March 2019, there are 443 free schools open across the country, which will provide over 250,000 places at capacity.

The department & LocatED are responsible for acquiring the land and buildings required to establish these schools, ensuring that they are located in appropriate and safe surroundings, are a good fit with the school’s educational aims and offer good value for money.

In most cases, land and buildings are acquired on a freehold or peppercorn lease, however, for some schools; particularly those involving the use of temporary accommodation, the department may enter into a commercial lease. The department estimates the total rental payment for land and buildings for free schools for each academic year to be as set out in the table below.

Academic Year

Costs (to the nearest £100,000)

2010/2011

£0

2011/2012

£0.4 million

2012/2013

£2.3 million

2013/2014

£7.4 million

2014/2015

£9.0 million

2015/2016

£10.8 million

2016/2017

£12.4 million

2017/2018

£13.6 million

2018/2019 (to date)

£10.6 million

The department’s total rental costs for land and buildings (including for the department’s own use) are set out in the Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts.

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