Sorry it's another Google for a lot of you as he is a figure from my past and I'm an ancient 48 according to my sons. Odd thing is they laugh their heads off at another comedian from my past Dave Allen!
Sorry digressing.
It is possible to find out how much cash is being splashed by the DCSF & Moira if you look long enough.
Link
Kier Bags £127M Academy Work
Kier has clinched two new academy deals worth a combined £127m in Cumbria and north-east Lincolnshire under the National Academies framework.
The wins see Kier and Willmott Dixon neck and neck, with both firms winning £286m of work so far under the framework.
The £90m Cumbria Academies programme will see four new academies built over three phases. Work on the first academy will begin early next year. Kier beat Laing O'Rourke to win the job. Laing O'Rourke has failed to win any work so far under the framework. Kier's £37m north-east Lincolnshire deal involves a new technology college and one new academy in Grimsby.
Kier's other wins under the framework include the
£35m Milton Keynes Academy deal, the Samworth Academy and the Norwich
Academy deals, both worth £20m, the £26m Wirral Academy deal and the
£22m Shropshire Academy
The shrewd ones amongst you will have noticed that Kier is rather 'good' at winning these bids. Willmot Dixon do not compete nationwide like Kier do. Kier have a 'presence' in each region which allows them to bid for almost every contract if they so choose.
This article was written on 26th November 2008 and since then Barrows 'fag packet plan' has had another £15M thrown at it courtesy of the personal intervention of our 'caring' MP who claims that it is up to the County Council to decide on education in Barrow. Link
So Moira has decided in her infinite wisdom to lump five building projects into one and placed it with Kier who presumably must have offered a better deal that Laing O'Rourke.This project is worth over £105,000,000.
Quite why Kier won and Laing O'Rourke lost isn't known as there is NO information anywhere in the public domain about this public contract.
apart from that 45 million quid of 'ahem' 'golden money' we really need to think why the hell do we need this academy...
well apparently 1 in 3 classrooms will be empty in the futUre at the three schools...
But i happen to think different...
REGENERATION "ooh that sounds nice" "let's go and live in barrow
on that MASSIVE MARINA" "yeah we could go and live in that MASSIVE MARINA VILLIAGE" "yeah - and i could get a job at BAE working on ONE OF THOSE MASSIVE SUBMARINES,SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.
"we could go to barrow on one of those MASSIVE CRUISE LINERS
that moor in that MASSIVE MARINA DOCK.
HOW MANY BLUDDY JOBS ARE GOING TO COME IN TO BARROW IN THE NEXT 10 TO 20 YEARS?
HOW MANY FAMILIES WITH KIDS WILL COME TO LIVE IN BARROW?
HOW MANY MORE JOBS AT BAE WILL BECOME AVAILABLE?
HOW MANY TOURISTS WILL COME TO LIVE IN BARROW?
HOW MANY MORE MAJOR INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES AND SALES COMPANIES WILL COME TO LOOK FOR POTENTIAL PROFIT IN BARROW?
But how long will it take for furness academy to go in to special measures... how long will it take for all those families to be driven away? how many places will this academy take?
how long will it take for those financial sponsors to get in to financial difficulties themselves (oh there in debt already...)
If this becomes a failure then there will be only 1 place for people to go...
and that's dowdales! SCHOOL FOR PERFORMING ARTS!
AND DOUGIE LOVES PERFORMING...