THE NEW Thornwell School infants building will open in September next year and the money is there for the work to go ahead, the leader of Monmouthshire council has said.
The funding to replace the fire-damaged building has been a bone of contention between the administration at County Hall and Thornwell councillor Armand Watts.
Speaking exclusively to the Review Councillor Peter Fox said: "We have unallocated funds in the capital budget which will be available for the new building at Thornwell.
"As soon as we know the exact cost of the new building, we can proceed.
"Without knowing how much it will cost there was not much point in putting an amount in the capital programme."
"As it will require a change to the capital programme, a report will have to go back to councillors."
Councillor Watts told the council work could have started if the authority had used the £1.6 million it put into reserves.
The issue was raised by Chepstow town councillor Marian Lewis in a question to the council's cabinet member for children's services Councillor Liz Hackett-Pain.
Councillor Hackett-Pain said: "It will happen. The proposed start date is summer 2012 and the opening date is September 2013."
The estimated cost is £3.5 million and the council has received £1.9 million from its insurers following the blaze in June last year.
Councillor Watts said: "The council is saying manana (tomorrow) but the fact is they could have started the work if they had made the £1.6 million they are putting into reserves available for Thornwell."
He said the Labour opposition would have used part of the £5 million earmarked for the new Abergavenny cattle market to allow an immediate start on the school.
Councillor Lewis, in a thinly-veiled reference to Councillor Watts, said she hoped the council's statement would: "set the record straight once and for all, and encourage some members of the council to get back to work – to put up, shut up and stop spreading alarmist rumours."
Councillor Watts denied he was being alarmist: "The council says it is committed to replacing the building but how is going to do it if the money has not been identified?"
The leader of the council said the £1.6 going into reserves was from the revenue (day-to-day costs) side and was not available for capital projects.