TEN Devon schools are to be rebuilt or have a major facelift as part of a major Government investment of £160 million.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls last night confirmed funding would be made available across the county to give pupils the chance to learn in "21st-century classrooms". But he gave a stark warning that a Conservative victory at the next election could put the funding at risk.

Devon County Council secured £80 million for four new secondary schools for Chulmleigh, Dartmouth, Ilfracombe and Tiverton. Marland special school in Torrington will also receive a share of the funds.

Plymouth City Council will receive £78 million to pay for major refurbishments at Tamarside, John Kitto and Lipson Community College. Wood View Learning Community School will receive help for a new suite of computers and IT, and a new Devonport secondary school will replace Stoke Damerel Community College.

Work on planning the new schools is expected to begin almost immediately, with builders moving in within three years. Mr Balls hailed the investment as a "once-in-a-generation chance" for schools in the region.

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But in a stark warning to voters, he added: "Whether the schools can be built in Devon will depend on the General Election result.

"Parents do not want to go back to the bad old days when school buildings were left to rot under the last Tory government – a legacy which our sustained investment in school buildings is finally consigning to the history books."

He said the Conservatives were committed to cutting the budget for Building Schools for the Future by £4.5 billion.

Last night, a Tory spokesman said that Mr Balls was being "dishonest" by not making clear how Labour's plans to cut capital funding by half by 2014 would affect schools.

But Conservative councillors in the Westcountry welcomed the major investment. Devon County Council leader John Hart said he was sure the new schools would "raise standards and ambition in the local community". He added: "It will also provide a major fillip for the economy in parts of Devon that badly need that boost."

Devon County Council is already part-way through a two-year programme of school building which is injecting more than £180 million into the local economy. This is in addition to Building Schools for the Future.

Councillor Grant Monahan, cabinet member for children and young people at Tory-led Plymouth City Council said: "This funding will enable us to continue with our programme to create learning environments for the next generation of learners."

Alison Seabeck, Labour MP for Plymouth Devonport, said: "Good schools not only shape the future for our children but they help everyone in the locality, and the jobs involved in the building work will be very welcome too.

"This is exactly the news we needed and it makes for a great Christmas present for the whole city."

Plymouth and Devon were among just 11 councils in the country to receive funding yesterday.