A long-promised school rebuild has become the centre of a growing political row, with fresh claims of inaction, missed opportunities and children left waiting in deteriorating classrooms.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed what critics describe as a lack of progress on plans to rebuild Tiverton High School, despite funding being secured in 2022 under the government’s School Rebuilding Programme.
The project had been expected to enter its “delivery phase” in April 2025, but nearly a year on, work has yet to begin.
According to the FOI, there were just two meetings between senior Devon County Council (DCC) officers and the Department for Education, Devon County Council has confirmed that numerous additional ‘keep in touch’ meetings were also held.
Council records show that between April 1 and December 15, 2025, there were just two meetings between Devon County Council officers and the Department for Education regarding the rebuild. The same records confirm that no formal requests have been made by the department to access the site for ground surveys or borehole drilling, suggesting construction is not imminent.
The findings have prompted criticism from campaigners.
James Wright, a local farmer and Conservative campaigner said: “For years, the Liberal Democrats campaigned promising that this school was their absolute top priority.
“They aggressively attacked the previous administration.
“Yet this FOI shows that since taking the keys to County Hall last May, they have not even bothered to write a single formal letter to the government to fight for our kids’ future.
“It is a shocking betrayal of the parents who trusted them.”
The funding for the rebuild was secured in 2022 following lobbying by the previous Conservative administration, alongside former MPs and school leaders. High profile politicians to have visited the school include leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey when Richard Foord was MP in 2023 and Eric Pickles with Neil Parish MP in 2013.
Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, who was cabinet member for children’s services and schools at the time, said: “Under the previous Conservative administration at Devon County Council, we worked tirelessly alongside the school to finally secure this vital funding.
“We made a firm pledge to deliver the state-of-the-art learning environment Tiverton desperately needs, and we successfully got the money allocated to make that happen.
“To see the current Liberal Democrat administration squander that momentum and leave the project to gather dust, without applying any formal pressure on the government, is incredibly disappointing.
“They are failing the children of Tiverton.”
A DCC spokesperson said “Devon County Council is fully engaged in this process, with officers in regular discussions with the Department for Education and having met with the Department on numerous occasions between April and December last year.
“The School Rebuilding Programme is a national scheme run by the DfE, and decisions sit with the Department. We are awaiting the outcome of its feasibility work and will continue to press for progress, working closely with the DfE to secure the improvements the school needs as quickly as possible.”
However, Cllr Steve Lodge, Devon County Councillor for Tiverton West, rejected claims that no action has been taken.
Cllr Lodge said: “To suggest that no action is being taken by the council or Liberal Democrat administration is nothing more than political posturing.
“I have sat on two special schools panels where the rebuild of the school has been at the forefront.
“In the latter just a few weeks ago the DfE were present enabling me to speak directly about the pre-assessment phase and push for progress.
“For Cllr Leadbetter to suggest the Conservatives worked tirelessly to get funding for a rebuild disguises the fact that their own Conservative MP made zero progress with a new build when they were the party in Government for 15 years.
“The rebuild is closer than at any time in over a decade. We are now working to get it across the line and give the young people of Tiverton a school they need and deserve.”
More information can be found via the council’s published FOI response: https://www.devon.gov.uk/accesstoinformation/information_request/tiverton-high-school/
