EDUCATION bosses are fighting to reassure Otley parents that restructured primary schools will be up and running by September.

Last week at an emergency Leeds City Council meeting councillors agreed to employ new contractors after it emerged none of the tenders received so far represented value for money.

At Friday's hastily called meeting of the top Executive Board, it was agreed that new contractors with a proven track with the council would be employed to do the work - believed to be in the region of £1.5 million.

The report stated that of the tenders received for all four schools at the start of April, all were higher than expected and none represented value for money.

It added under closer inspection, a worrying trend had emerged leading them to be referred to internal audit and then to the Office of Fair Trading - which is deciding whether or not to take further action.

Councillor Andrew Carter (Con, Pudsey North), a member of the Executive Board, said it was important that the schools were ready as planned in September.

He said the tendering process would now be investigated by senior officers of the council.

"If our fears are proved to be correct, the council will want to take the strongest possible action."

Four schools - All Saints Infants, Lisker Drive; Westgate Infants, Bradford Road, Ashfield Infants, Weston Lane and The Whartons Primary School, The Whartons - are due to undergo work to make them into primary schools.

Following the closure of All Saints Juniors, North Parade, and Thomas Chippendale, Weston Ridge, all of the four remaining schools will get improved facilities both inside and out with All Saints Infants extended the most with a 25 per cent increase in size.

John Soussan, a parent of All Saints Junior School, who campaigned to keep the school open, said the problems came as no surprise.

"The whole thing has been badly planned and conceived right from the beginning.

"We always thought they were trying to rush it through with unseemly haste and now everything is up in the air, we just don't know what is happening."

And Sonya Conway, spokesman for the All Saints Parent Action Group, agreed the general feeling was that the schools would have never been finished in time.

The group is currently trying to fight the council's decision to close the North Parade school in the High Court and she says more people have joined them since the problems arose with the tendering process.

"It is absolutely appalling, we're talking about schools that are looking after hundreds of children."

Town councillor Colin Campbell, chairman of governors at Ashfield Infants School, said: "If there have been discrepancies in the tendering process then it would be wrong both morally and financially to carry on with that process and that it should be dealt with firmly.

Coun Campbell stressed that the most important thing was the children's education. He added that although it looked likely that work would not be entirely finished, there were contingency plans in place to minimise disruption.

Councillor Clive Fox (Con, Otley and Wharfedale) said: "I am sure the Executive Board has made the right decision in pressing on with the schools building programme using alternative contractors.

"After all the upset over the school closures in Otley, we owe it to our children and to their parents to have everything in place whatever the cost. In the meantime, the investigation into what when wrong with the tenders can progress and no doubt there will be a report back to the council's executive board in due course."

Coun Graham Kirkland (Lib Dem, Otley and Wharfedale) said: "The council does not cancel contracts and dismiss contractors for fun, they try and negotiate a better price for the council.

"They must have serious concerns indeed. There needs to be a springclean because the credibility of the council and the city of Leeds is at stake."

Chris Edwards, chief executive of Education Leeds, said: "The main purpose of the report to last Friday's meeting was to ensure that some problems encountered with the tenders received would not affect our original timetable. Leeds City Council has procedures in place to ensure that all tenders represent value for money and in this case the decision was taken not to proceed with the tender award.

"Although different contractors will be engaged, the work will still be carried out along the same requirements and specifications which were agreed with the schools. The proposed refurbishment work will be completed by this September in time for the new academic year."