A £145 million project to build eight new schools has been delayed because the Government has not released the cash to Bradford Council.

Construction work on the second phase of the £400 million Building Schools for Future programme was due to start this month with the schools expected to open in September 2010.

But the contract between the council and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has still not been signed off.

The second phase of the new schools programme includes the rebuilding of Greenhead School, in Keighley and a new special school will also be built on the site.

A DCSF spokesman said: “The current phase of Bradford’s BSF project is a far more complex proposition than the first phase, which saw three schools open.

“Partnerships for Schools is working closely with the local authority and its private sector partners to address a range of issues for this subsequent phase, including affordability, challenging sites and bank finance.

“On this latter point, the assembly of bank finance is progressing well and Partnerships for Schools is working hard to ensure the people of Bradford get the best possible deal.”

Barry Grayburn, Bradford Council’s Building Schools for the Future project director, said the recession was one reason for the delay.

He said: “Discussions, detailed planning, specifications and proposals have taken longer than envisaged, partly due to the current financial climate, but good progress is being made and we hope work will begin in the spring.”

But David Ward, the council’s Liberal Democrat group education spokesman, said there were now “real concerns” about the future of the remainder of the BSF programme.

He said: “We have moved from a situation where everything is positive to a situation where everybody has concerns about the delivery of it.

“The more delays there are in phase two, the more uncertainties there are in phase three. We are really concerned the wheels are beginning to fall off.”

Cllr Michael Kelly, the council’s executive member for children, admitted the delays were “frustrating” but said he hoped funding problems could be sorted out quickly.