Not a penny of billions of pounds of cash earmarked for school renovation will be spent on Sussex’s crumbling classrooms.

A total of 11 schools across West Sussex and Brighton and Hove applied for urgent funding to the Department for Education.

But all of their applications for repairs and refurbishment to the £2 billion fund were rejected.

Blatchington Mill and Hove Park in Hove both missed out. A spokeswoman for Hove Park said the school was “naturally disappointed” but added it would continue to focus on raising standards for students.

Sue Shanks, the chairwoman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s children and young people committee, called the decision “short-sighted”.

She added: “The schools need money spent on them. Central government budget cuts mean there is less to go round and it is difficult to argue we should be prioritized over other areas where need might be greater.”

For the full story see today's Argus.