THE COST of building a new sixth form block at Bohunt School has risen to £10.5 million, one of the reasons why the project has been delayed.
Cllr Graham Howe, the opposition’s children’s services spokesperson, asked his counterpart for an update, saying the scheme was budgeted at £4.5 million in March last year, then it rose to £6.5 million as a result of increases in the cost of materials after Brexit.
Work was then delayed due to contracts.
He asked: “Can (Cllr Bray) put an end to opaque, changing stories so that residents of Bohunt community can be informed but also other Wokingham schools impacted, and can she give a clear explanation of the provision, the costs, and timelines?”
Cllr Bray said that in March last year, the council’s executive – then a Conservative administration – approved the plans which would also see Year Seven provision increased. The cost would be split with £3.7 million paid for by the council and £2 million by the Bohunt Educational Trust. This was an estimate based on the submitted business case, but was an underestimate.
The increases come from more detailed design work to meet government school building standards and rising inflation.
“Working with the Bohunt Educational Trust, officers are working on options available to bring sixth form education to Bohunt, and a further report on timescales and cost will be reported back in the autumn,” Cllr Bray said.
“The council is working to provide information to assist students affected by this to find a different alternative … other schools including Forest School have sufficient available places.”
Cllr Howe said: “In the spirit of collaboration and getting things done for the community that Bohunt would serve, what is it that you need from your co-councillors to make this happen?”
Responding, Cllr Bray said: “I would suggest there are councillors in the area around the school, perhaps not of my own political party, who might like to get their facts accurate when they’re making statements on social media. That would be of great assistance in getting this project sorted out.”
She welcomed questions sent in by members wanting more information.
“I would rather people came to me rather than putting misleading statements on social media.”
Later in the meeting, the executive voted to approve a project update report. This noted the increase in costs.
Options include building a smaller sixth form, increasing the council’s contribution, and explore alternative sites until the sixth form at Bohunt is ready.
Having a smaller sixth form was considered to be high risk and was not recommended. Increasing the council contribution needed to be balanced against the borough not immediately needing sixth form places.
The final option is a site the council is currently investigating as an option. This would be near to Bohunt’s current site, but would not be under the control of either the council or the Bohunt Educational Trust.
A feasibility study is now being prepared with this to be delivered in the autumn. In tandem with this, detailed costings on an extension at Bohunt would be worked on to provide a definite figure for the future of the site.
Cllr Bray said: “We are proposing a twin track approach looking at both the new build and using an existing building. In a couple of months, we will need to make the final decision on which one we’re going to go with, and the trust are fully aware of both options.”
