A £90 million programme to transform secondary education acRoss Bournemouth and Poole is facing delays.

Nine Schools across the boroughs are due to be transformed with work due to start to turn Kings High and Ashdown schools into state-of-the-art academies in less than two years.

Bishop of Winchester, Oakmead, Glenmoor, Winton, Rossmore, Montacute and Winchelsea schools are also in line for massive investment under the Building Schools for the Future programme, designed to drive up standards.

Now senior council figures from both boroughs have admitted they are not ready to submit their Business case for funding for the first phase of BSF in the area.

Details of the Outline Business Case were due to be presented for approval to cabinet in Poole next Tuesday and in Bournemouth the following day before being sent to the government.

But chief executives Pam Donnellan and John McBride have told councillors they are not ready to commit to proposals for the schools.

They and programme director Barry Watts claim the delays are simply to ensure they are getting value for money and that the programme delivers on the “transformational education visions” of each authority and school.

A letter to councillors signed by both chief executives says they will not submit designs or specifications until they are happy with the quality.

The letter adds: “A number of emerging financial risks have influenced our decision to pause and take stock.”

Mr Watts added: “We will continue to press forward to reach the earliest appropriate and achievable deadline.

“However, this is not a process we intend to rush. “It is vital to get this right from the outset to minimise risks for each council.”

Spokeswoman for the programme Laura Cook told the Daily Echo : “We hope this is a very short pause of just a couple of weeks. We were not in a position to meet the dates of the cabinet meetings but hope to have special cabinets in a couple of weeks’ time.”