PRIVATE sector cash may pay for new schools to be built in Bromsgrove, to ease the acute shortage of pupil places and for its existing ones brought up to date.

Yesterday at County Hall, Worcester, in what is regarded as a groundbreaking move and a first for the county, cabinet members, reached cross party agreement to approach the government for approval to seek cash from private sources to improve schools in the district.

Following the meeting Tory councillor June Longmuir (Bromsgrove South), cabinet member for education, said she believed it is the only way to meet the town's ever growing education needs from now until well into the century.

"Like it or not, the council simply does not have the £35m or £40m to invest in schools," she said.

"There is a pressing need to revamp and make more flexible schools built early last century and build new ones to cater for the increasing population.

"The problem is many schools are in the wrong place, are inadequate or are very expensive to maintain," she added.

Involving the private sector is in line with government policy and will give the authority the opportunity to dictate its precise needs.

The deadline for councils to indicate their wishes to the Government is mid December.

Private cash would also free schools from crippling on-going maintenance costs and may be expanded to include "housekeeping" services such as school meals thereby releasing headteachers to spend more time on education.

Cllr Longmuir said the private sector would pay for new buildings and rent them to the authority for 25 years or so, after which time they would revert back to the authority's ownership.