This year’s pot of cash for making the borough’s schools bigger is set to double thanks to an extra Government grant.

Merton Council has been given an additional £7.3m from the Department of Education for this year’s expansion programme, in which several primary schools are being asked to take on extra children by building extra classrooms.

The extra money, in addition to the original £7m school building grant, brings the total budget for this year (2012/13) up to £14.3m.

Merton’s cabinet member for education, Councillor Peter Walker, said the extra cash was necessary so that the council did not have to borrow and risk having to put up council tax next year.

Coun Walker said: “This is quite a boost and we are over the moon that our heavy lobbying has borne fruit.

“We have one of the biggest rises in birth rates out of all London boroughs – 39 per cent – and this well help us meet our legal obligation to provide good schools for them.”

The total £53m school expansion programme started in 2011 and will end in 2016.

Coun Debbie Shears, the leader of Merton's Conservative Group, said she welcomed the grant from the coalition Government.

She said: "When we ran the council we we ignored by the Labour Government so we are pleased that the Secretary of State has listened to our demand for school places.

"We still believe we need a new school in the west of the borough, but at least this money will enable a better quality of accommodation to be built as the council expands existing schools."

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