News story

26th June 2003

LOCAL MP TO CHALLENGE MINISTERS OVER TEACHER CUTS IN SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Northavon MP Steve Webb has secured a debate at Westminster next week to challenge the Government over the under-funding of education in South Gloucestershire. He will use the debate to highlight what he will call the “South Gloucestershire Tax” - the Government decision to cut £4.7 million from this year’s budget for South Gloucestershire in order to protect other local authorities.

Prior to the debate, entitled “Education Funding and Teacher Redundancies in South Gloucestershire”, the MP will be talking to local head teachers as well as holding talks with senior council officials in order to assess the impact of the budget squeeze on
local schools and school children.

Across Britain, councils have faced a financial squeeze as the amount of money allocated by the Government for education has not matched the rising costs of teachers’ pay, pensions and National Insurance. But in South Gloucestershire the problem has been made worse by the Government’s decision to withhold over £4 million in grant to which the authority should be entitled under the new funding formula introduced this year. The money has instead been spent on cushioning the blow for other councils
who would otherwise have had a very small grant rise under the new formula.

Steve Webb will tell the Minister:

“The Government says that education is a top priority, yet local schools are having to sack teachers. This is despite council tax being raised by more than twice the rate of inflation in order to make up some of the shortfall. It cannot be right that our area has been singled out for its own “South Gloucestershire Tax” by the decision to put a ceiling on our grant for this year. We need an urgent assurance from the government that they will lift this ceiling in full for the coming year.”


Note to editors: The debate will take place at 4.00pm on Tuesday 1st July in Westminster Hall. Steve Webb will have approximately 15 minutes to put his case and a Government education minister (yet to be announced) will have 15 minutes to respond.