Whitehall risks undermining council-maintained schools by dramatically cutting their improvement budgets by £400m a year, council leaders have warned.

The Government has confirmed only £50m – down from £450m - will be allocated to councils from September to cover their education improvement duties.

Some 89% of council schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted and chair of the Local Government Association's children and young people board, Cllr Richard Watts, warned this track record would be undermined.

‘Cutting councils' school improvement budgets risks the long-term work and planning that has been put in place,' he said.

‘Councils' track record of helping to improve schools with their local knowledge, expertise and democratic oversight cannot be ignored.'

The County Councils' Network (CCN) warned in November that the slashing of the improvement budget was ‘academisation by the back door'.