Insider Media Limited

A deadline of 11 April has been set by education secretary Michael Gove for Sandwell Borough Council to resubmit its proposals for funding from the government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme.

In a statement, Gove said he would keep “an open mind” when reconsidering the requests for funding, after the High Court ruled against him last month.

It was ruled last month that Gove must reconsider his decision to cut funding from six councils through the government’s axing of the £55bn BSF programme.

Now the councils have until 11 April to resubmit plans detailing the schemes they wish to save.

The authorities which brought the action against the government were Sandwell, Nottingham City Council, Waltham Forest London Borough Council, Newham London Borough Council, Kent County Council and Luton Borough Council.

During the hearing, Mr Justice Holman said that in five of the cases brought to court, Gove had committed "an abuse of power".

In a statement relating to the extended deadline for the six councils involved, Gove said that he would carefully consider the information provided by the authorities, and would hold meetings with the relevant parties.

He added: "At the next stage a letter detailing my provisional or ‘minded to’ decision will be sent to the local authorities and they will be given the opportunity to make further representations.

"After that, I will make a decision on each of the projects, having considered, with an open mind, all of the information gathered over the consultation period and with due regard to my equalities duties. As the judge made clear, 'the final decision on any given school or project still rests with [me]', and that I 'may save all, some, a few or none'. He concluded by saying that 'no one should gain false hope from this decision'."