§ Mr. John Greenwayto ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the numbers and percentages of surplus places in each local authority in England. [21969]
§ Mrs. GillanThe following tables set out the numbers of surplus places, by local authority area, and the proportion that these represent of total capacity, as at January 1995. The data are drawn from the returns made during 1995 by local education authorities in respect of their schools and by the Funding Agency for Schools in respect of grant-maintained schools in stage 2 and 3 authority areas: data on surplus places in the 336 grant-maintained schools in stage 1 authorities are not available. These returns show that there were just over 880,000 surplus school places in January 1995, representing 12 per cent. of the total capacity of 7.6 million places. This represents a reduction overall of some 130,000 places between 1994 and 1995—some 2 per cent. of total capacity.
This is encouraging, but the tables illustrate considerable variation in numerical and proportionate levels of surplus across the country. In some cases, combinations of pupil population growth and rationalisation are expected to reduce high levels of surplus to more acceptable levels. Where there is no sign of significant reduction in high levels of surplus, the Department will consult the authorities concerned about the extent to which any of that surplus is in practice removable. In the light of this consultation, my right hon. Friend will decide whether surplus place removal targets should be set for any of those authorities.
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Table 1: Surplus places by local authority area, excluding GM schools in stage 1 authorities, at January 1995 Primary1 Secondary Actual surplus Actual surplus LEA Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Avon 6,432 8 11,242 18 Barking 1,392 9 258 3 Barnet 1,293 6 1,418 27 Barnsley 1,460 7 2,467 16 Bedfordshire 6,909 15 7,752 215 Berkshire 4,895 8 5,949 211 Bexley 1,457 7 1,606 310 Birmingham 8,693 8 11,718 215 Bolton 2,266 9 1,715 210 Bradford 4,225 11 6,482 213 Brent 2,139 11 1,452 310 115W
Table 1: Surplus places by local authority area, excluding GM schools in stage 1 authorities, at January 1995 Primary1 Secondary Actual surplus Actual surplus LEA Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Bromley 1,443 26 608 23 Buckinghamshire 8,900 13 3,041 28 Bury 762 5 732 7 Calderdale 2,522 13 1,782 212 Cambridgeshire 6,420 10 2,048 25 Camden 467 5 520 25 Cheshire 14,601 15 8,233 12 Cleveland 7,004 11 6,898 16 Cornwall 3,048 8 1,166 4 Corporation of London 15 7 — — Coventry 4,357 13 4,060 17 Croydon 2,429 9 1,350 28 Cumbria 5,054 12 4,418 213 Derbyshire 10,175 12 9,451 214 Devon 8,825 10 3,399 6 Doncaster 6,293 20 5,777 21 Dorset 3,512 8 3,648 28 Dudley 3,172 11 1,890 210 Durham 8,139 14 6,528 15 Ealing 3,991 16 609 24 East Sussex 5,627 10 2,808 8 Enfield 869 4 1,399 27 Essex 13,348 29 16,881 215 Gateshead 3,860 19 2,863 20 Gloucestershire 5,895 212 2,999 28 Greenwich 2,259 11 2,601 16 Hackney 1,855 11 2,100 22 Hammersmith 1,404 15 2,145 227 Hampshire 18,080 13 5,783 27 Haringey 1,043 6 1,119 10 Harrow 985 5 883 10 Havering 1,489 7 2,163 213 Hereford and Worcester 5,943 11 6,086 12 Hertfordshire 12,202 13 13,389 216 Hillingdon 2,103 210 1,041 37 Hounslow 1,590 9 773 25 Humberside 10,641 12 10,237 15 Isle of Wight 418 6 1,122 10 Isles of Scilly 76 30 219 63 Islington 1,706 11 1,512 17 Kensington 731 12 751 219 Kent 11,936 9 15,251 213 Kingston upon Thames 83 0 510 26 Kirklees 2,614 7 2,438 9 Knowsley 3,247 16 1,208 12 Lambeth 3,684 19 3,947 238 Lancashire 11,685 9 9,639 11 Leeds 8,839 13 6,167 13 Leicestershire 7,348 9 9,426 14 Lewisham 1,196 6 1,846 15 Lincolnshire 7,218 213 4,680 211 Liverpool 9,388 18 7,503 220 Manchester 6,888 14 8,039 27 Merton 928 7 1,164 214 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,748 12 2,694 14 Newham 2,123 8 2,131 13 Norfolk 6,526 10 3,468 28 North Tyneside 2,824 16 2,117 13 North Yorkshire 8,279 13 4,990 10 Northamptonshire 4,089 8 5,665 211 Northumberland 4,960 21 3,231 10 Nottinghamshire 10,194 11 17,250 22
Table 1: Surplus places by local authority area, excluding GM schools in stage 1 authorities, at January 1995 Primary1 Secondary Actual surplus Actual surplus LEA Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Oldham 2,251 10 947 6 Oxfordshire 5,939 12 6,375 15 Redbridge 425 2 867 6 Richmond upon Thames 600 5 181 2 Rochdale 1,047 5 1,949 213 Rotherham 2,583 10 2,292 11 Salford 2,890 12 2,187 16 Sandwell 1,807 6 2,821 14 Sefton 2,775 10 3,532 16 Sheffield 5,003 11 5,376 18 Shropshire 4,143 11 2,083 28 Solihul 2,089 10 983 7 Somerset 2,222 6 3,010 10 South Tyneside 1,733 11 1,823 16 Southwark 3,176 15 1,877 217 St. Helens 1,942 11 1,991 15 Staffordshire 13,917 14 3,867 6 Stockport 2,229 8 1,575 9 Suffolk 4,420 9 5,145 10 Sunderland 5,553 17 2,031 9 Surrey 7,766 10 3,275 26 Sutton 725 6 515 24 116W
Table 2: Distribution of surplus between LEA and GM schools in stage 2 and 3 authorities LEA GM Total Surplus Per cent. Surplus Per cent. Surplus Per cent. Primary Bromley 1,248 6 195 8 1,443 6 Essex 12,120 10 1,228 6 13,348 9 Gloucestershire 5,425 12 470 8 5,895 12 Hillingdon 1,911 11 192 7 2,103 10 Lincolnshire 6,646 14 572 7 7,218 13 Secondary Barnet 1,006 10 412 4 1,418 7 Bedfordshire 7,360 17 392 4 7,752 15 Berkshire 3,621 9 2,328 20 5,949 11 Bexley 1,361 11 245 6 1,606 10 Birmingham 10,374 17 1,344 8 11,718 15 Bolton 1,401 9 314 11 1,715 10 Bradford 6,425 14 57 1 6,482 13 Brent 108 6 1,344 11 1,452 10 Bromley 142 4 466 3 608 3 Buckinghamshire 2,671 9 370 4 3,041 8 Calderdale 1,035 15 747 9 1,782 12 Cambridgeshire 1,272 5 776 5 2,048 5 Camden 520 6 0 0 520 5 Croydon 696 9 654 8 1,350 8 Cumbria 2,600 12 1,818 14 4,418 13 Derbyshire 7,929 17 1,522 8 9,451 14 Dorset 2,800 8 848 8 3,648 8 Dudley 1,719 11 171 4 1,890 10 Ealing 403 5 206 3 609 4 Enfield 1,138 8 261 5 1,399 7 Essex 6,664 19 10,217 13 16,881 15 Gloucestershire 1,317 12 1,628 7 2,999 8 Hammersmith 2,145 31 0 0 2,145 27 Hampshire 4,979 7 804 5 5,783 7 Havering 2,163 16 0 0 2,163 13 Hertfordshire 9,809 18 3,580 13 13,389 16 Hillingdon 319 13 722 6 1,041 7 Hounslow 684 5 89 4 773 5 Kensington 708 22 43 6 751 19
Table 1: Surplus places by local authority area, excluding GM schools in stage 1 authorities, at January 1995 Primary1 Secondary Actual surplus Actual surplus LEA Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Tameside 1,369 6 1,387 210 Tower Hamlets 1,635 8 1,826 14 Trafford 1,331 7 1,943 214 Wakefield 3,696 12 3,904 16 Walsall 3,716 14 2,642 212 Waltham Forest 1,420 7 1,200 29 Wandsworth 4,270 23 1,919 217 Warwickshire 7,387 14 5,816 218 West Sussex 5,363 9 5,802 13 Westminster 473 5 903 11 Wigan 4,301 14 2,085 10 Wiltshire 7,186 14 4,908 212 Wirral 4,515 13 3,072 14 Wolverhampton 4,395 17 3,088 217 Total 477,503 11 405,652 12 1 Primary figures show surplus after taking account of any summer entry. 2 Stage two for planning purposes. 3 Stage three for planning purposes. 1. Stage 1 = less than 10 per cent. of pupils in the GM sector.
Stage 2 = between 10 per cent. and 75 per cent. of pupils in the GM sector.
Stage 3 = 75 per cent. or more pupils in the GM sector.
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Table 2: Distribution of surplus between LEA and GM schools in stage 2 and 3 authorities LEA GM Total Surplus Per cent. Surplus Per cent. Surplus Per cent. Kent 8,298 15 6,953 12 15,251 13 Kingston upon Thames 260 5 250 8 510 6 Lambeth 2,968 52 979 21 3,947 38 Lincolnshire 2,740 12 1,940 10 4,680 11 Liverpool 6,853 20 650 18 7,503 20 Merton 1,156 15 8 1 1,164 14 Norfolk 3,082 9 386 4 3,468 8 Northamptonshire 4,342 11 1,323 13 5,665 11 Rochdale 1,949 15 0 0 1,949 13 Shropshire 1,962 9 121 3 2,083 8 Southwark 1,678 20 199 8 1,877 17 Surrey 2,488 7 787 4 3,275 6 Sutton 208 4 307 4 515 4 Tameside 1,377 11 10 0 1,387 10 Trafford 1,703 16 240 7 1,943 14 Walsall 1,850 13 792 10 2,642 12 Waltham Forest 1,120 11 80 4 1,200 9 Wandsworth 1,088 31 831 11 1,919 17 Warwickshire 4,861 19 955 16 5,816 18 Wiltshire 3,438 14 1,470 10 4,908 12 Wolverhampton 2,802 18 286 10 3,088 17 1. The GM column includes schools which became grant-maintained on or before 1 April 1995.
2. LEA and GM percentage columns show the actual number of surplus places as a proportion of total capacity within that sector.