FEARS have emerged that Worcestershire's £125 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme to rebuild Wyre Forest secondary schools could be axed.

According to a report in a national newspaper, the Government has put the £55 billion school rebuilding programme under review, freezing plans for hundreds of new secondaries in England.

It adds that secondary schools in authorities that have been approved to enter the BSF project but have not yet named their contractors might now lose their funding.

A spokesman for the Department for Education insisted that no decision had been taken and said it was normal for a new government to review spending priorities.

He explained: "Ministers are considering spending priorities, which include school capital funding. No decisions have been taken on BSF and other capital projects."

A spokeswoman for Worcestershire County Council played down the fears and added that they were continuing to move ahead with the scheme.

She said: "The county council is part of wave 6a of the BSF programme and has received approval of its outline business case from central government. The authority is currently working towards the procurement phase of the project and has received no other guidance in relation to any aspect of this programme to date.

“Reports will be going to the BSF project board on May 26 and cabinet on May 27 with recommendations of bidders to be invited into the competitive dialogue stage."

Liberal, Fran Oborski, Wyre Forest district and Worcestershire county councillor, expressed concerns over the future of the bid following the newspaper claims.

She said: “Before the election I thought there was an all-party agreement that all the BSF schemes which had received Whitehall approval would be protected from cuts, whoever won the general election. Now I am not so sure.”

Worcestershire’s Wyre Forest programme has been heralded as the first of a total of five waves of investment across the county.

The initial project is scheduled in two phases, planned to start in 2011 and be completed in 2014.

The first wave of the programme would consist of five secondary schools – Baxter College, The Bewdley School and Sixth Form Centre, King Charles I School and Sixth Form Centre, The Stourport High School and Sixth Form Centre and Wolverley CE Secondary School.

The programme would also include a new build (three to 19-year-old, 220-place) special school and a new key stage three/four pupil referral unit.