£1.1m extra for schools ‘clever ploy’
ACOUNCIL’S plan to inject an extra £1.1m into its schools budget has been dubbed a “clever ploy” after heavy criticism from parents, schools and governors to its original proposal.
Newport council’s cabinet said it was pledging extra funds for education and care – showing what it called a clear commitment to the city’s most vulnerable residents.
This comes after some of its original budget proposals were criticised by the Newport Association of Primary Headteachers who estimated that primary schools in the city would have to make 226 teaching assistants or 79 teachers redundant should they go ahead.
A letter from governors at Caerleon Comprehensive School had warned that the cuts, which were part of £3.5m total savings then proposed by the council, would affect the future of young people because of the £250,000 hole it would leave in the school’s budget.
But after a public consultation, the council has now added an extra £1.1m to the budget for Newport’s schools.
Council leader Debbie Wilcox said: “We have given all the feedback careful consideration and as a result, additional funds have been allocated to key areas including education and care.
“We have to deliver a balanced budget, and this is proving harder and harder each year as the demand for services grows, yet our funding from Westminster continues to reduce.”
The Labour councillor added: “Providing excellent education for all our students is a major priority for the council. We are pleased to be proposing this additional budget, which the schools will be able to spend on their own priority areas.
“We will continue to work with them to help them best manage the funds available and to plan for the challenges and inevitable savings in future years.
“We have carefully managed the council budget, and as a result we have some funds available to reinvest. Education is an area we all agree is worthy of such investment.”
But the council’s leader of the opposition, Conservative Councillor Matthew Evans, questioned how the council had “magically” found £1.1m and said the original proposal had caused “a huge amount of worry” for those potentially affected.
“I think it’s a clever ploy. It was a clever move on their behalf. Having said that, it’s caused a huge amount of worry among parents, schools, governors across the city”, he said.
Yesterday’s meeting also saw Newport’s Cabinet approve a 3.5% council tax increase – equating to an increase of just over £34 a year or 66p per week on an average Band D properties.