Tories slam Nats on education spending

The Rutherglen and Hamilton West branch of the Scottish Conservative Party have called for more money to be spent on local schools.

They say spending on Scottish schools last year fell to its lowest level since 2009, dropping from £4.82billion to £4.67bn.

Taylor Muir, who stood for the party at last month’s general election, said education spending in England had risen in comparison, along with teacher numbers, which have dropped in Scotland.

Mr Muir said the SNP had to take responsibility:“At a time when the schools budget in England has been protected, these new figures reveal another cut in funding for schools in Scotland. The cost of this is clear – in England the number of full-time teachers has increased by more than 3000 between 2010 and 2013. But in Scotland, over the same period, the numbers have fallen by around 1000.

“This is the price schools are paying for the SNP’s failure to take any responsibility for our schools system and undertake the reforms that are necessary to turn it around.

“It’s not good enough for them to blame others – the cuts to spending and the fall in literacy and numeracy standards is happening on the SNP’s watch.”

But Bob Doris MSP, responded, saying: “The figures are designed to mislead as the Tories have compared‘net’expenditure on education in 2014/15 with‘gross’ expenditure for previous years.

“Provisional outturn expenditure – actual spend– is higher in 2014/15 than the previous year. It is also worth noting that spending per pupil in Scotland is significantly higher than in Tory-run England.

“Quite frankly it’s staggering that the Tories have the audacity to complain about spending levels in Scotland given they have cut Scotland’s budget by nine per cent since 2010 and only last week a UK Tory chancellor has decided to cut Scotland’s budget by a further £107million this year alone.”