EDUCATION chiefs say crumbling schools in Monmouthshire need £100 million of maintenance work by 2010 to meet Assembly targets.

The Assembly has ordered all local authorities to ensure their schools are 'fit for purpose' by 2010.

And the council's condition survey of its schools, carried out over the last two years, revealed the alarming news.

But Assembly officials say they are prepared to discuss the issue with the council.

The cabinet member for Lifelong Learning and council deputy leader, Mike Smith, says the sort of cash needed simply isn't there.

He added that unless the Assembly is able to commit to a rolling programme of around £20 million annual investment from 2005, Monmouthshire will fail to reach required standards.

But the capital grant, the local authority's cash package from the Assembly to be used for projects such as work on school buildings, was only £3 million this year - and finance bosses expect less next year.

Councillor Smith said: "We need £100m-worth of maintenance work to get our schools 'fit for purpose'.

"The proposed cash settlements from the Assembly for next year are ludicrously small, especially as we are facing increased responsibilities."

Councillor Smith said the council has lacked the money in previous years to invest in ongoing school maintenance which would have prevented buildings from deteriorating.

Stuart Clapham works in the council's Lifelong Learning directorate and has some responsibility for the department's share of the capital budget.

He said: "Assembly guidance over what makes a school 'fit for purpose' has been thin on the ground, but maintaining a school is like maintaining your home, things need repairing and replacing.

"But the £100 million also includes our strategic review of provision and IT provision."

A spokeswoman for the Assembly said: "There is no list of 'things to do', all the Minister has said is that by 2010 all schools must be in good physical shape and properly maintained. It's up to individual local authorities to assess what their schools require to achieve this.

"Monmouthshire says it needs to make its schools fit for purpose. We are in regular contact with authorities and are prepared to discuss it with them."