Tory opposition councillors complaining about ‘Political’ banners in Old Market Square Nottingham.
The Banners are prominently placed in the Old market square showing the general public the extent of Tory cuts on Nottingham’s schools. The banners emphasize the amount in real terms of Tory cuts on education showing Nottingham school’s will see a reduction funding of £10.9 million or £296 per pule less by 2020.
The Labour-run council said the banners are consistent with policies adopted by the council, and that it is raising awareness of an important issue affecting thousands of families.
But Conservative councillors said it is a ‘pointless’ waste of money, and that the council itself should remain apolitical.
The council’s contribution to the banners was £1,000. The cost has been split between the city council and the campaign group School Cuts. The logos of both organisations are on the banners.
The campaign group believes in real terms, huge amounts of money is being slashed from schools across the country.
The Tory councillors have complained that the council should not politicise these cuts to funding.
Councillor Jim Armstrong, who represents the Wollaton West ward for the Conservatives, said: “They are constantly complaining about not having money, but then they go and spend it on pointless things like this “Surely they could have given that money to schools if they wanted?”
Councillor Roger Steel, who represents the Clifton North Ward for the Conservatives, added: “They are spending taxpayer money promoting political allegiances. Is this really the right thing for a council to be doing?
Kevin Courtney is the Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, one of the trade unions which backs the School Cuts campaign group, and said the school funding crisis should concern every taxpayer
He said: “In all 17,942 schools are expecting to lose funding in real-terms, and that equates to the vast majority of schools. The others will barely tread water.
“We are pleased that Nottingham City Council understands the gravity of the situation, and we will continue to work with them to get a better deal for our children.”
Here at Labour Heartlands, we say, this is not about political allegiances this is about the future prosperity and life choices of children cutting funding cuts both the results are life-changing negative impact on a generation of children.”
Nottingham council have a duty to the people of Nottingham and that duty must include informing the people that the Tory government is cutting education funding for their Children
If the Tory counsellors don’t like it and they really know it is a ‘vote loser’ they should talk to their Party and fight for more funding not complain that funding cuts are being highlighted.
The rest of the country
School budgets in England have been cut by around £1.7 billion a year since 2015, Labour analysis of a Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report reveals today.
Annual spending on schools would be higher by £1.7bn in 2019-20 than the amount allocated by government if funding per pupil had been maintained in real terms over the past three years, according to Labour’s analysis of the data.
Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, who will be visiting a school in Yorkshire today, has criticised Chancellor Philip Hammond’s one-off announcement of £400 million in the Budget so that schools can buy “little extras” was “downright insulting.”
Mr Hammond suggested that the average school could use it for building maintenance and equipment like a “couple of whiteboards,” but it cannot be used on running costs and staffing.
Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly stated that the government has increased school funding, but a school in her own constituency has previously sent letters to parents asking for donations to buy basic items like textbooks, pens and toilet roll.
Ms Rayner added: “The Tories have slashed billions from schools and now the Chancellor thinks they should be grateful he’s offered them a whiteboard.
“Instead of offering a sticking plaster to schools this government should be genuinely investing in them by reversing their unjustifiable cuts.”
Ms Rayner also criticised Schools Minister Nick Gibb after he admitted that their recent £508m grant for teachers’ pay will not fully fund every school for the costs of the recent pay settlement, despite government promises that they would.
It was meant to cover the difference between the 1 per cent award that would have been permitted under the Tories’ public sector pay cap, and the higher amount eventually conceded by the government.
However, even this fell short of the full recommendation of the independent pay review body.
Ms Rayner had asked him last month in a written parliamentary question why the Department for Education decided to use pupil numbers as the basis for distributing the grant.
Mr Gibb admitted in a response that his department is using the per-pupil formula, instead of an assessment of individual schools’ costs, because it was based on “simplicity and timeliness.”
But, he added, this means that “the grant will not exactly match their costs in every case.”
He did not say how many schools would face a shortfall, or how much it may be.
Ms Rayner said: “The Prime Minister told us that austerity is over, but it is becoming clearer by the day that this doesn’t apply to our schools and teachers.
“FAR FROM JUST NEEDING ‘LITTLE EXTRAS,’ SCHOOLS AREN’T EVEN BEING FUNDED FOR THE VERY BASICS.”
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