West Berks Schools Let Down By Poor Government Funding Deal

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 29th Apr 2003

West Berkshire schools have been let down.

Schools in West Berkshire have been let down by a poor Government funding deal, David Rendel MP told the Schools Minister in today's parliamentary debate.

The Government's funding settlement has failed to take account of increased costs for schools, such as the rise in National Insurance contributions, the rise in pension contributions, and the teachers' pay deal.

As a result, many schools are facing budget deficits and the prospect of teacher redundancies. Meanwhile, local councils have been forced to put up council tax to plug some of the gap.

Mr Rendel said:

"Councils like West Berkshire are receiving a raw deal.

"The Government's own funding formula says that we should be getting more money. But Ministers have imposed a ceiling on the increase we are allowed, so once again our budget has fallen short of what we need to maintain services.

"It is completely unacceptable for Ministers to deny our local services money they themselves admit we need."