Many crumbling schools will have to wait until 2015 before repair contracts are awarded under the Government's £2bn priority school building programme, the Local Government Association (LGA) has claimed.

Such delays effectively mean many among the 261 schools which successfully applied to the scheme - which replaced the axed building schools for the future programme - will be awaiting refurbishment six years after the initiative was first announced.

Vital building repairs needed by schools include fixing roofs, restoring heating systems, safely removing asbestos and securing dangerous electrical wiring.

However, authorities have had to dip into their funds to make urgent health and safety work in their schools while awaiting cash from the Department for Education, the LGA reports. 

Devon CC has set aside an estimated £2.5m for eight schools awaiting funds, North Lincolnshire spent £1.4m on maintenance in schools due government cash.  Suffolk CC has allocated £1.1m to keep its two worst school buildings open while Bury Council has put aside £2m from its emergency fund to cover the potential costs of essential repair work at three schools until it gets news of its funding.

‘This situation is now unacceptable and threatens to severely impact on our children's education,' said Cllr David Simmonds, chair of the LGA's children and young people board.

‘Councils are stepping in to keep schools running while government struggles to get its act together. Local government is already carrying out basic repairs but we could deliver so much more with funds that are currently tied up in government red tape.'

A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘We have already appointed contractors for the first two batches of capital-funded schools and we are tendering for the remaining capital-funded schools.

‘The first privately financed projects will be released to market shortly.'