A Liberal Democrat MP is demanding assurances from his own ministers that not a single penny will be taken from students at local authority run schools as the Government pushes ahead with its Academies agenda.

Bradford East MP David Ward said he had concerns about Education Secretary Michael Gove and would be “monitoring” the situation.

This week the Department for Education revealed an additional four schools across the district had submitted bids to become Academy schools.

Two of the schools were rebuilt using a Private Finance Initiative and Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme, which meant the Council made the repayments but it is expected the debt will be taken on by Government.

The Lib Dem MP said he would be asking Mr Gove for answers over who would pay the outstanding balance to ensure other schools did not suffer.

Mr Ward said: “I have no confidence in him. At a time we are looking at reducing benefits, cannot afford EMA payments, we seem to have all this funding available for Academies so Michael Gove can push through his private initiative.

“Local authorities have been top- sliced to fund academies. We were told a mistruth when the Academies Bill was going through as I was given a personal assurance there would be no new money for academies and other schools would not suffer as a result of it.

“But I believe Government is diverting money into the Academies programme.”

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “No money is being diverted away from other schools to Academies.

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