Contractor Laing O’Rourke has been appointed by Barking and Dagenham Borough Council to deliver its £270m Building Schools for the Future programme.

The first building phase is planned to start in February 2011, with two other waves planned. All building work is expected to be completed by April 2015.

However, question marks still remain over the future of the £55bn programme, introduced under Labour. A verdict on whether the new coalition can sustain the same level of spending on the scheme will be given in autumn’s spending review.

Laing O’Rourke’s business unit leader, Mark Richardson, said: “We look forward to cementing a close partnership with the borough, supporting its aspirations for more prosperous communities.

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