A dispute has emerged between Northumberland County Council and North Northumberland MP David Smith regarding the financing of the multi-million pound reconstruction of Berwick Academy. The council has sought a £13 million contribution from the Department for Education (DfE) towards the £50 million project, which represents a maintenance backlog at the academy, typically the DfE's responsibility.
The council proposes using these funds to support the rebuild, but the government has not yet confirmed whether it will provide the money. MP David Smith claimed the council and school did not apply for funding during the 2022 Schools Rebuilding Programme, arguing the outcome would now be known. However, Conservative cabinet member for education, Coun Guy Renner-Thompson, stated that consultation work was ongoing at the time and accused the government of stonewalling the scheme.
The planning application for the new school has been submitted, with construction expected to start by the end of the year and pupils arriving in 2028. Mr Smith welcomed the progress but questioned why formal funding bids were only submitted earlier this year. He said: "I'm pleased that progress is being made for the sake of the staff, parents, carers and children this impacts. Berwick has waited a long time for a new high school, and it's important now that momentum continues and the town finally gets the high-quality school that its young people deserve."
He added: "The Academy did not apply for Government support when the opportunity arose. I don't know why, but had an application been made in 2022, we would already know the result. Government funding is not allocated on an ad hoc basis – there are established routes, and Berwick is now, very late in the day, in that process. My focus is on securing the best possible outcome for the town and local families and school staff that need and deserve a wonderful school. I will continue working constructively with all partners and making the strongest case for investment with Ministers and the Department for Education. Crucially, the project itself is progressing. The council has committed to delivering the new academy, and we are now seeing real movement on delivery. That's good news for Berwick."
The new school building is part of a £64 million scheme to overhaul education across the Berwick partnership of schools, covering a large area of north Northumberland. The schools are transitioning from a three-tier to a two-tier system after extensive consultation. Responding to Mr Smith, Coun Renner-Thompson said: "I have been working on this project for 10 years now since Belford Middle School was forced to close. The 2022 round for the 'Schools Rebuilding Program' was open from the 3 February 2022 to 3 March 2022. At that time, we were still consulting with the community on whether they wanted two or three tier education, and consulting on the proposed closures of Norham and Scremerston First Schools. A huge amount of time and effort has gone into engaging with the community and schools in the Berwick community since then."
He continued: "In 2022 we didn't know what sort of school we would be building or how many schools in the partnership would be remaining open. To suggest that the council somehow failed to apply for funding in 2022 is disingenuous in the extreme. We can't apply when we don't know what we're going to build or how much it would cost. The next round opened on February 12 2026, and we immediately applied for it. We have been in discussions with the DfE about a contribution to the Berwick Academy re-build since 2024. They can give us the money if they want to, they've done it for other projects in Northumberland and the North East, but we are being stonewalled by the Government on this issue. I only want what's best for the children. I don't care where the money comes from."
