Labour is squeezing thousands of school budgets (Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats)

Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats <info@wantagelibdems.org.uk>

Labour is squeezing thousands of school budgets

September 17, 2009 9:33 AM

David Laws MP, Lib Dem shadow secretary for schools

Liberal Democrat research has found that thousands of schools are experiencing a massive funding squeeze and are expecting to be unable to balance their books by the end of the financial year. The data was obtained by the Liberal Democrats through Freedom of Information requests to all local authorities. Two-thirds (101) of councils have responded revealing that 1373 schools are currently projecting a deficit. Repeated across the country, this would leave at least 2060 schools facing a deficit.

With the other political parties failing to commit to protecting the education budget, the coming years are likely to see teacher redundancies, growing class sizes and schools lacking the resources they need to provide a quality education.

At the Liberal Democrat Conference starting this weekend, Liberal Democrat Shadow Schools Secretary David Laws MP will re-affirm the Lib Dem plan to inject an additional £2.5bn into schools via a Pupil Premium and to cut infant class sizes.

Mr Laws said: "These figures are very worrying. It looks as if around 2,000 schools will be in deficit this year - almost one in ten in England. This is the tip of an iceberg which is likely to emerge rapidly as the squeeze on education budgets really bites over the next few years. We are likely to see school cash balances being rapidly run down, and we could soon be back to the bad old days of endless budget pressures and regular staff cuts. The knock-on effect could be rising class sizes and schools left without the other resources they need.

Added Wantage and Didcot spokesman Alan Armitage: "Neither Labour nor the Conservatives are promising to protect the education budget in the face of the economic crisis. But this is essential if we are to help young people through the recession and if we want our country to recover strongly afterwards. In Oxfordshire, economic success depends on having the necessary skills and knowledge to drive the modern high-tech industries which we have here. We also need schools which can close the yawning gap between the performance of rich and poor children in some parts of the county."