Councillors’ opposition to school budgets cut
COUNCILLORS in Merthyr Tydfil have voiced their opposition to a proposed cut of nearly £600,000 to school budgets and increases to school meal prices.
Councillors voted against endorsing the current proposals in the council’s medium-term financial plan at a special full council meeting on Wednesday, November 7, and they will now go out for consultation.
The proposals, which came from the Merthyr Tydfil Schools Forum, show a cut of £594,000 from the delegated schools budget whilst increases in school meals prices would generate £100,000.
Labour Councillor Brent Carter said: “Performance in school has dipped.
“How can we justify taking £594,000 into consideration?
“It doesn’t say where it is coming from. There is no evidence.”
Lisa Mytton, cabinet member for learning, said it wouldn’t be fair for her to comment on the dips which could have been down to a number of factors but that secondary schools performed well last year.
She said the budget was originally given to schools as part of the basic skills programme which was then embedded into school budgets.
Then in 2016/2017, £321,000 or 35% was taken out of the budget and they are now looking at the other 65%.
But Councillor David Chaplin, Labour, said: “To cut over £500,000 from the education budget I do believe is unacceptable. I oppose cuts to school meals with so many children living in houses in poverty.”
He asked if cabinet would commit to spending extra money it receives from Welsh Government on education.
Cllr Mytton said: “Once we know what it looks like we will discuss it. I, the leader and Debbie Wilcox (leader of Newport council) have lobbied to make sure we do get these monies.”
The proposal for school meal price increases would involve primary schools seeing an increase from £2.10 per meal to £2.25 per meal in April 2019 and a further increase to £2.40 per meal in September 2019.
Secondary schools would see an increase from £2.50 per meal to £2.65 per meal in April 2019 and a further increase to £2.80 per meal in September 2019.
Cllr Mytton added that Merthyr Tydfil still has one of the lowest school meal prices of any local authority in Wales and is lower than neighbouring authority Blaenau Gwent and felt it was the appropriate time to increase prices.
Gareth Chapman, the council’s chief executive, told councillors: “We have got a very difficult situation.
“If you put £694,000 back in then you have to cut every other service we provide.
“We need to balance education with al the other services. £694,000 is a big amount of money.
“We can put something back in but then it has got to come out of somewhere else.”