A Taunton school with sub-standard facilities could be rebuilt with money haemorrhaging from the nearby empty regional fire control centre, a governor claims.

Tim Slattery is appalled at the state of Halcon Primary School classrooms, which an OFSTED inspector panned.

His comments followed a National Audit Office report revealing the Government is paying £102,373 rent monthly for the fire centre, lying idle in Blackbrook – the final total could hit £30million, equivalent to £500 per person in Taunton, while tens of millions of pounds set-up costs have been written off.

Mr Slattery said: “There are lots of community projects in Halcon crying out for funding, yet the Government is pouring taxpayers’ money away on this white elephant.

“The inspector said Halcon Primary School had probably the worst buildings he’s seen regarding suitability for children.

“The cost of a new school and much-needed community centre in Halcon could come from the rent wasted in a year.”

Plans for nine regional fire control centres in England, including Blackbrook, completed in 2007, were aborted last year following delays and IT problems.

The Department for Communities and Local Government is locked into leases until 2035 and losses could top £469million nationally.

A spokesman said: “We’d prefer it to be used by the fire and rescue service, but it could be put to other uses.”

Trevor Stratford, assistant chief fire officer at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, which has a control centre at Hestercombe, said: “The building was designed for the facility and the cost to be shared by six fire and rescue services.

“We’ve decided it’s too expensive for a single fire and rescue service on its own and the building doesn’t suit our future needs.”