ANOTHER Huddersfield school will become an academy.

Councillors last night spoke of their anger as Salendine Nook High School was given the green light to break away from Kirklees Council.

The Labour Cabinet yesterday gave the school a 125-year lease to its site, allowing it to become an academy on December 1.

But councillors complained about the way the Government had set up the conversion process.

Cabinet member for children’s services Clr Cath Harris said: “We are obligated to ensure the transfer is as smooth as possible. A school which wants to become an academy gets £25,000 to cover its legal costs but the council gets nothing – we have to provide officer time from our budget.”

Clr Peter McBride attacked education secretary Michael Gove, who is encouraging schools to become academies.

The Dalton Labour man said: “He takes all the power to the centre and leaves the financial burden to the local authority.”

Clr David Sheard predicted that more schools in Kirklees would become academies.

The Heckmondwike Labour man told the meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall: “No doubt this won’t be the last report of this nature that we will be getting.

“There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Moor End in Crosland Moor, Mirfield Free Grammar School, Shelley College and Rastrick High School became academies at the start of the new term.