£30m for city's flood-hit schools

Thousands of properties were affected during the floods

Secondary schools in Carlisle are to get a £30m boost in the wake of the devastating January floods.

The government agreed "in principle" to the one-off payment after accepting the city had "exceptional problems" in recovering from the disaster.

Three people died in the floods, while thousands of others were made homeless and hundreds of properties damaged.

Cumbria County Council said the move would result in a complete review of secondary education in the city.

Three schools in the city suffered flood damage, although all have re-opened.

A council spokesman said the cash could be used for repairs and possibly for new schools.

Educational future

But he also refused to rule out the possibility that some schools with falling pupil numbers would be closed or merged as part of the review.

No decision has yet been made on exactly how the cash will be used and the government has stressed any proposals must have "broad agreement" from interested parties.

The award is also tied to a commitment by the local authority to invest cash itself.

Tim Stoddard, leader of Cumbria County Council said: "This is a tremendous opportunity to take a look at secondary education in the city and shape a better educational future for generations to come.

"This is money we would not otherwise have had and it means we can tackle the issues in the city starting from first principle.

"We have no fixed views about what the final plan will look like, but we will be working with everyone involved in education to make sure we come up with a package which will deliver the best outcomes for the for future generation of youngsters in Carlisle."

Cumbria County Council will discuss available options in September.