Schools in Keighley which try to block their closure by running up debts in the coming year will have their spending powers removed.

The warning has been issued by Bradford's director of education Diana Cavanagh, who says deficits must be removed before the school review is implemented.

The review cannot be implemented in schools that have run up a deficit on their budget, and the council is keen to ensure that schools don't take this course of action to avoid closure.

"We are monitoring almost every pound spent and if we felt schools were running up deficits to make implementation difficult we would have to remove their delegated budget,' says the director.

Schools were urged last autumn to keep their spending tight to limit a projected £3 million deficit in schools.

Budget increases under the new Labour government this year made the financial situation for many schools healthier, but there are some still struggling against mounting debt.

Schools in Keighley have also been overlooked by the government's latest education handout. None of the schools in Keighley will benefit from the injection of £24.7 million by the Department for Education and Environment.

Sixty schools in the area applied to the DfEE in January for cash under the New Deals for Schools scheme, and only six in Bradford were selected to share the £1.75 million of funding.

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