LAW firm Ward Hadaway has been chosen to advise on a £160m school building programme in the West Midlands, one of the few Building Schools for the Future projects which have survived the Government's cuts in spending on school buildings.

The Newcastle-based firm was picked by Telford & Wrekin Council to provide full legal services on the second phase of the authority’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

This will see a total of 11 schools built and refurbished over the next three years, representing a major educational investment programme.

Ward Hadaway was chosen to provide legal advice on the scheme after a keenly contested competitive tender, presentation and interview process undertaken by Telford & Wrekin Council.

Karen Andrews, partner in the public sector team at Ward Hadaway, said: “In the context of cut backs in public spending, this is a really significant appointment and a further vote of confidence in Ward Hadaway’s ability to deliver high quality, specialised legal services for major projects in the public sector.”

Ward Hadaway has a long track record of advising on school building projects, having worked on almost £700m worth of schemes in the UK.