EXTRA Welsh Government funding will allow new school improvement work to take place earlier than anticipated, Powys County Council has confirmed.

The county council is to receive an extra £1.7m capital funding plus £600,000 of the authority’s capital funding is to be spent on major school improvement work in the current financial year allowing the council to carry out projects earlier than planned.

Powys Council's cabinet agreed to add the extra money to the approved school improvement budget taking spend on county schools to nearly £4.8m over the next two financial years.

Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Councillor Myfanwy Alexander said: “The cabinet has the ambition that none of our young learners are taught in inappropriate or ill-equipped school buildings. We have a 21st century building programme which is not just the largest in Wales but the British Isles.

“The biggest building programme still requires a building maintenance programme and we are grateful to the Welsh Government for the additional resources to carry out work. We have a list of projects waiting and the extra money will help fund roof, heating and window repairs at a number of primary and secondary school across the county.”

All project work will be carried out on a priority basis consider a variety of criteria including, condition, sufficiency, suitability, sustainability, health and safety, disability discrimination accreditation and environmental health legislation.