I CAN assure Darlington Conservative councillors Gill and Mike Cartwright (HAS, March 26) that, unlike the Tories, who are committed to slashing investment in new school buildings, the Liberal Democrat policy is for an extra £2.5bn to be invested in our schools.

We will do this by cutting wasteful and unnecessary government programmes, such as the proposed replacement of the Trident nuclear weapon system, the controversial ID cards scheme, the Eurofighter project, the Child Trust Fund and hugely-expensive government IT schemes.

Although the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, like so many Labour schemes, is wasteful and bureaucratic, we fully supported Darlington Borough Council’s bid for £57m of BSF money to rebuild Hurworth, Longfield and Branksome schools.

We won that money and we want that money for Darlington.

A Conservative government would mean pupils at those schools will continue to be educated in outdated buildings.

The Conservatives are, understandably, keeping quiet about the true nature of many of their policies. When they do let slip the truth we see their true colours: tax cuts for their rich friends, chronic under-investment in our children’s futures and no commitment to closing the achievement gap between rich and poor children.

Councillor Mike Barker, Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Darlington.