A TOP councillor has attacked controversial academy schools.

Kirklees Council’s Conservative-run Cabinet is discussing bringing academies to Huddersfield and Batley as part of a huge school building programme in the district.

In return for a small proportion of the start-up cash a business, religious or voluntary group is given a large say in the running of the academy.

But Lib Dem group leader Clr Kath Pinnock warned that academies had proved expensive in other parts of the country.

She said: “The Commons Public Accounts Committee has said the cost of academies has not been kept under control, with 17 of the first 26 academy costing over £3m more than expected.

“The Conservatives are blindly supporting the Labour Government on this issue. Building academies in Kirklees will mean that all other high schools will fail to get the investment they deserve.

“We want scarce resources for school building to be invested fairly so that all schools in the area benefit. We want a good local school for every child in Kirklees.”

Clr Pinnock added that it was still unclear whether academies increased standards.

But Clr Jim Dodds, Kirklees Cabinet’s member for children and young people, stressed that no decision on new schools had been made, adding: “We have an open mind on academies.”

He said the council was consulting on the future of schooling in north Kirklees, with a view to bidding for £200m of Government cash in March next year. A further £200m should be available for schools in south Kirklees later.

Clr Dodds said: “Having an academy in Batley is just one of the issues we’re looking at.”

He also revealed that Kirklees Council, Huddersfield University and Greenhead College were all possible co-sponsors for any academies.

He added that he hoped there would be cross-party support for whatever plan emerged.

Clr Dodds said: “I’m keen to make decisions alongside other parties. This issue is too important to become politicised.”