| Final 32 X Factor acts gear up for final fight The last 32 X Factor contestants are about to take up the final fight to the series final, after packing their suitcases to join their respective judges stationed across the globe. telegraph.co.uk |
David Tennant on life after Dr Who Actor David Tennant speaks to the BBC's Andrew Marr about Hollywood, Hamlet and life after Dr Who. bbc.co.uk |
Leapfrogging mayor bruises giant human tomato Failure to vault a giant human tomato costs Belfast council £24,000. telegraph.co.uk |
Remaining school-building projects must make 40% cuts Councils face having to scale back scheme that had been given the green light after education secretary Michael Gove's cull in JulyThe Building Schools for the Future programme is to be hit by further cuts of 40%, the Guardian learned today.Councils now face having to further scale back the schemes that had been given the green light after the cull by education secretary Michael Gove in July.Around 600 school projects are affected and savings of £6bn have been targeted.The projects also include so-called "sample schools" – trial projects put forward by local authorities – which were specifically given the go-ahead by the Department for Education in August.Councils were told the news yesterday evening in a conference call with Tim Byles, the chief executive of Partnerships for Schools, the body in charge of delivering the BSF programme.He confirmed that 40% efficiencies were to be sought from the 600 schools that were confirmed as safe in Gove's initial statement to parliament.Schools that have already been built have not been included in the list.The details of which individual projects are to be cut and by how much has not yet been determined, but councils may have to prioritise, cancelling later phases of their plans.Projects that are well advanced are likely to be largely protected, meaning those in earlier stages of development could be cut by more than 40%.The list of 600 also includes some academies and "sample" schools, which are those put forward by local authorities to demonstrate a cross-section of their BSF scheme before the rest of the projects were started.In August the Department for Education announced the 33 sample schools had been given the go ahead.Each local authority's reduction is expected to be confirmed by the third week in November, with meetings scheduled between councils and Partnerships for Schools early next week.The Department for Education said today it had always been the intention for the surviving schemes to make efficiency savings.In the past government officials have insisted schools with desperate problems would still get money, insisting: "If a roof is leaking it needs to be replaced, but do you need a £35m oak finish?"Education policySchoolsPublic financePublic sector cutsPublic services policyLocal governmentLocal politicsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Popular? What about tunesmiths Bizet, Handel, Rossini and Verdi? Oh dear. Asking Radio 3 listeners for a Top Ten of Britain’s favourite arias is a bit like asking the Bullingdon Club to supply a list of the nation’s favourite tipples. It would include rare vintages, but not what they shift by the tankload at Bargain Booze. timesonline.co.uk |