Rotherham Schools Project

Building Learning Communities Limited (BLC) is a not-for-profit company set up by Transform Schools and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. 

Established in 2004, BLC's role is to develop and manage community use of the 15 schools within the £100m Rotherham Schools PFI Project which reached construction completion in December 2006. This is one of the few examples where community use in a PFI project is managed by a separate not-for-profit company.

The PPP Forum interviewed Tony Richardson, General Manager of BLC, to find out more about what BLC does and what he thinks about PFI.

Could you please tell me more about BLC? 

We act as a sort of letting agency to groups who want to hire school facilities, so, we look after every step of the process from initial enquiries through to billing. Importantly also our role is to develop further use of school facilities. For example if a school has a specialist status we try to develop use related to that status. For a school with a business status this might mean encouraging companies to use its facilities and then persuading them to come back and talk to its sixth formers. 

We aim to make facilities available to all and operate a "mixed economy" where the ability of some groups to pay offsets the inability of others to pay. 

Because BLC is a not-for-profit company, any profit made is re-invested for the benefit of the local community and the schools. Also as a result of its not-for-profit status BLC can access funding which schools, the local authority and the private sector cannot. This adds to the development of community activity in Rotherham and means that broader plans can be achieved. 

When the initial tender for the project was issued, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council stressed the importance of access to the schools by the community at large. To address this issue Balfour Beatty included in its bid submission the establishment of a not-for-profit company specifically to manage community access. 

 What are the facilities like?

 They are excellent. For example, if somebody wants to hire a venue to seat 200 people, on padded tiered seating with lighting, I've got five top quality halls to choose from.  Alternatively for a community group who would normally meet in somebody's front room, we can offer a conference facility with interactive whiteboards, multimedia projectors plus a buffet at a price that they can afford. Other facilities include sports fields and state of the art dance/drama studios and ICT suites. The key thing is making facilities accessible and at an affordable price. 

How much does the local community use the facilities?

The number of different groups using the facilities has increased every year since BLC was set up. Groups include people of all ages and ethnic origin. 

What is it like working between the private and public sector?

This is probably the best example of partnership I've ever come across. Both the local authority and Transform Schools, the project company, have put their hands in their pockets to give their long-term financial commitment to BLC. Also there is an unbelievable "can do" approach to the whole setup. Rather than saying, "you can't do that" it's rather "what can we do to make this work?" 

What do you think of PFI? 

A woman who attended a programme which we hosted went back to look at one of the schools where she had been a pupil, and she couldn't believe the change; she just kept walking around, looking in absolute amazement and remarking on how much better the facilities are now. This sells it for me as, although I was initially sceptical of PFI, I've been won over when I've seen what can be done with the right approach. The facilities that have been provided are fantastic.

July 2009

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