DELAYS which have hit plans to open a new secondary school in 2006 are being blamed on an "undemocratic" Government body.

Lewisham Mayor Steve Bullock made the controversial decision, which will see the new Ladywell school open three years late, at a packed council meeting last week.

Protesters booed and cried "shame" as he revealed a delay in plans for a four-form entry secondary school to be built on the site of Ladywell Leisure Centre.

The former Ennersdale Primary School site in Leahurst Road would have temporarily housed pupils while demolition of the swimming pool and building work on the new school takes place.

But these plans have been shelved because the Leahurst Road site will now be used to expand Northbrook secondary.

Mr Bullock said the decision was forced by Partnership for Schools (PfS), the government-appointed body handing out £150m for rebuilding or renovating secondary schools in the borough.

PfS threatened to withdraw the vital funding if Leahurst Road was not used for Northbrook School's expansion.

Mr Bullock said: "It's a bloody shame. The PfS is unaccountable and undemocratic but I'm not going to risk losing the £150m we're entitled to. Governors, teachers and students have worked very hard making improvements and they deserve this funding."

At the meeting on June 8 it was decided to close Ladywell pool after the summer of 2007 so the new school can open in 2009.

Following the loss of the former Ennersdale Primary School site, officers gave the mayor four options to consider.

These included using Mountsfield Park or the civic centre car park as a temporary school site.

He also considered shutting Ladywell pool this year to get the school open sooner but finally settled on the three-year delay.

More than 50 campaigners protested outside the civic centre during the meeting as part of their battle over the future of the leisure centre.

Save Ladywell Pool campaigner Max Calo said: "The campaign will continue. We will carry on asking questions at public meetings.

"We will gather so many signatures on a petition it will amount to a referendum."

Mr Bullock said: "All the evidence shows the Ladywell site is the best one. Any further delays would only cause unneccessary risks to the £150m Building Schools for the Future programme for all our schools in the borough."

Paul Higgins, operational director for PfS, said: "PfS has been working extremely closely with Lewisham Council. Our main aim is to seek to balance local objectives with the requirements of the national programme.

"Our way of working is open and consultative, with all the key stakeholders involved at every stage.

"We are fully accountable to the Department for Education and Skills, which is providing the funding for the Building Schools for the Future Programme."

The Ladywell school is being built to tackle a shortage of school places in the borough.

Despite the three-year delay, a council spokesman said the council has already made provisions for this situation and does not expect any problems providing places over the next few years.