ONE of the inventors of the government’s city academies has warned their success is being jeopardised by the “creeping return” of council control.

The academies were designed under Tony Blair to close failing inner-city schools and replace them with institutions that are independent of meddling local politicians and run instead by outside sponsors.

However, Sir Cyril Taylor, former chairman of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, warned that, since Gordon Brown came to power, councils have been allowed to reassert their influence over the staffing, admissions and finances of academies. The government aims to open 400.

“The whole point is to give them independence,” said Taylor in advance of his new book to be published by Routledge on February 10. “Now the programme risks drifting from the core mission with too much control being exercised by local authorities - no doubt in my mind about that.”

Ed Balls, the schools secretary, restated his commitment to academies last week. This has failed to allay concerns.

Taylor said the initiative should remain focused on failing schools - sponsors should not be given the easier option of taking over well-performing schools, and troubled private schools should not be allowed to become academies as an escape route from bankruptcy.

This weekend the schools minister, Jim Knight, said the government would consider such approaches in areas where there was demand for more school places.

Taylor was ousted from chairmanship of the trust in a board-room coup in 2007 after angering colleagues with abrasive comments about incompetent teachers. He returns to the theme in his new book, A Good School for Every Child.

Taylor writes that there are more than 13,000 incompetent teachers, adding: “Procedures to move on ineffective teachers or staff in English schools are absurdly complicated, time-consuming and frustrating.”

Taylor is seen as the co-founder of academies along with Lord Adonis, the Blairite former schools minister moved to the transport department last year by Brown.

Taylor, 73, last week described Adonis’s departure as “an absolute tragedy”. He added: “The turnover of staff since has been absolutely appalling. A lot of the officials they have now, you don’t even know if they believe in the initiative.” Taylor argues that academies have proved their worth by improving grades 50% faster than the national average. This, he says, has happened despite them having twice as many pupils on free school meals.

Academies have long been controversial. Labour back-benchers and unions oppose their control by sponsors who include companies, a duke, charities, church groups, private schools and universities. Last month, official data showed improvements made by some academies had slipped back. Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, has declared an academy in Carlisle as failing after an emergency inspection sparked by pupil violence, a teachers’ revolt and parental protests.

Alasdair Smith, secretary of the Anti Academies Alliance, said: “If what Taylor is saying was true, I’d be delighted. My worry is it isn’t true enough. In some cases, they are being left with no alternative but to turn to councils as the businesses they wanted are getting cold feet.”

Michael Gove, the shadow schools secretary, said: “Sir Cyril is absolutely right to point out how academy freedom has been eroded.”

The schools department said: “We are not changing the academy model. The local authority role has not changed and will not change.”

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