Gove's competency called into question after High Court ruling on BSF axe

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Central Government and also in Education, Local Government

Education Secretary Michael Gove was today urged to apologise to MPs after six councils won a High Court challenge over the decision to scrap a number of school building projects.

Shadow education minister Iain Wright said the decision called Mr Gove's "competency" into question.

Raising a Commons point of order moments after the court's ruling, Mr Wright said it would have "grave implications" for the Department for Education.

Mr Justice Holman, sitting in London, allowed the challenges by the councils, declaring Mr Gove had unlawfully failed to consult them before imposing the cuts.

In five of the cases the failure was "so unfair as to amount to an abuse of power", said the judge.

The axe fell last July when Labour's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme was drastically curtailed after the coalition took power.

Mr Wright told Speaker John Bercow: "The High Court has just ruled that the six local authorities who were taking the Secretary of State for Education to court over his decision regarding the Building Schools for the Future announcement, the High Court has just ruled in favour of those local authorities.

"You will realise the feeling in this House among Honourable Members on both sides about this decision.

"You will also appreciate the grave implications that this announcement will have upon the Department for Education's policy and actually will call into question competency regarding the Secretary of State.

"Have you received any notification that the Secretary of State will come to this House, explain his decision, apologise for the botched decision that he did actually make and give any indication of how he will move forward to make sure that schools and capital programmes across the country, including my own constituency, will now be reinstated?"

Mr Bercow said: "I have received no indication from any minister from the Department for Education of an intention or a desire to make a statement in this House today, it would be perfectly open to a minister to do so."

The victorious authorities include Waltham Forest Council, Luton Borough Council, Nottingham City Council, Sandwell Council, Kent County Council and Newham Council.