The £230m primary schools sell-off

Almost 300 primary school sites have been sold off in the past decade as local councils seek to raise funds, according to a More4 News/Channel 4 News online survey.

The sales have generated £230m for authorities, as councils struggle to meet government funding demands and combat falling school rolls.

The research shows a further 188 primary schools sites are earmarked for future sale.

Critics say the sell-offs are a 'missed opportunity' to improve educational standards, and could leave authorities short of classrooms in the future.

Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the NUT, said: "The findings both surprise and depress me. At the moment we still have extremely large class sizes all over England and Wales, and because of these sell-offs we will find ourselves with insufficient classroom capacity further down the road.

"Whilst the pupil population might be decreasing at the moment this was the ideal opportunity to reduce class sizes and keep spending on education at the same level so that we can begin to fulfil Gordon Brown's promise that state school children will be funded to the same level as those in the independent sector."

Government funds schools according to how many places they have, rather than the actual number of pupils. It urges authorities to close schools with too few children, as they are seen as an ineffective use of resources.

The survey found that the council which received the most for primary school sales in the past decade was Oxfordshire, whose sell-off programme led to £39.8m being brought in from sales.

Others in the top 10 included: Hertfordshire at £25.6m, Cambridgeshire at £19.7, West Sussex at £15.8m, Havering at £15.4m and Leeds at £13.7m.

Over Easter, Cumbria County Council became the latest authority to indicate it was going to close primary schools under a reorganisation programme.

Councils pledge to put the money raised from primary school sales back into education funding, and many new schools and facilities have been built using the revenue.

However, professor Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics, warned that pledges on education spending have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

He said: "You have to take councils at face value when they say they will be ring-fencing funds. But ring-fencing doesn't necessarily mean extra spending on education."

Overall, 113 councils responded to questions filed by Channel 4 news online under Freedom of Information rules, to show that 298 primary school sites had been sold off in the past decade for a total of £236,337,577.

Hertfordshire: Police cuts could reach £5m

Budget cuts of up to £5million could hit our police next year, the Hertfordshire Police Federation has warned - according to the Watford Observer.

Chairman Detective Constable Alan Kemp has warned of a damaging effect on morale and officer numbers when the force's budget settlement is agreed at the end of the month.

Police funding is currently split between a bloc central government grant (the budget settlement) and a Police Authority precept added to council tax bills. The budgets run from April to April.

With increases in the latter funding likely to be capped at 5% (as it was last year) by the government, the federation is warning of a significant drop in funding of up to £5million.

Detective Constable Kemp warns this could lead to retiring staff not being replaced and a further strain on his already stretched members.

He said: "We know savings will be made but we're not sure what extent they will be yet.

"In real terms all forces are having their budgets cut year on year and it's really beginning to bite. It has to have a knock-on effect on staff."

A Hertfordshire Constabulary representative confirmed that a government funding cut "in real terms" was likely but stressed next year's budget, to be drawn up by the Police Authority, was yet to be agreed.

He confirmed, however, that savings would probably have to be made. Last year's budget was agreed at more than £165million.

Hertfordshire: Fire service 'at breaking point'

A leading firefighter has warned resources in Hertfordshire are now at "breaking point" following cuts and closures across the county - reports the Watford Observer.

Tony Smith, secretary of Herts Fire Brigade Union, has spoken out against Hertfordshire County Council's decision to close Radlett and Bovingdon fire stations last year and warned more cuts to the service would leave it dangerously short.

He said: "Our chief says there are going to be more cuts coming. The cracks are starting to show because the cuts have been too deep and it is time to bring back those two stations and invest something in the service."

Figures released by the county council this week show on top of fires within the county border, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue services attended 852 incidents in neighbouring counties between July and December last year.

Crews from neighbouring counties were called into Hertfordshire 171 times.

However, the county council maintains the number of call-outs is decreasing with crews in Hertfordshire attending 15,971 incidents in 2001/2, compared to 12,460 call-outs last year.

However, on Tuesday a petition containing a signature from almost every resident in Radlett was delivered to the county council demanding the village station reopen.

Stephen Oakes-Monger, of Park Road, Radlett spent two months knocking on every door in Radlett collecting almost 7,000 signatures.

The 48-year-old said: "It is an overwhelming condemnation of the county council's decision to close the fire station."

In the past two months there have been four fires in Radlett. And in March, an aerial ladder platform had to be called from Luton to attend a fire in The Heath, but took so long that the blaze was out before it arrived.

It is also alleged that, on at least one occasion, crews coming from across the county could not find their way to the fires in the village.

West Herts hospital trust plans 500 jobs cut

Hospitals in West Hertfordshire are the latest to face up to mounting debt in the NHS by shedding jobs, according to the BBC.

The trust said up to 500 jobs would have to go in the next 12 to 18 months to help tackle debts of £28.6m - whereas the government hands £115 million to the EU every single week without justification.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it would cut back on temporary staff to reduce the number of people in permanent posts affected.

The trust, with hospitals at St Albans, Watford, Hemel Hempstead and Northwood, recently published restructure plans.

The trust's financial forecast shows that, even after delivering the current turnaround programme and making some staffing cuts over a five-year period, the hospitals would still face a deficit of £18m in 2009/10 because of changes in income and costs.