Decision details

It was moved by Councillor Shaw, seconded by Councillor John Joseph Kelly :

 

“This Council notes:

(1)       that, due to factors including:

·         Increases in Employers’ NI contribution rates for ‘contracted out’ employees

 

·         Increases in Employers’ Pension contribution rates for both the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and the Local Government Pension Scheme

 

·         Introduction of Apprenticeship Levy the impact of the Government freeze on school budgets will be that schools will see an average effective real terms cut of 8% in their funding by 2019/20 as compared to 2015/16.

 

(2)       that the proposed introduction of the National Funding Formula (NFF), in combination with the above, will see every school in the Borough suffer significant real terms cuts in funding by 2019/20 which, according to schoolscuts.org.uk, will amount to a total of £17.776 million a year across all Sefton schools, and, for individual schools, as much as:

·         £348,000 a year cut per school (£419 per pupil) in local primary schools

 

·         £649,000 year cut per school (£568 per pupil) in local secondary schools

 

This Council believes that real term cuts of this magnitude are simply unachievable, and that, if implemented, would have a severe negative impact on the education of children in this Borough.

 

This Council therefore resolves:

 

(1)       To write to the Secretary of State for Education expressing our serious concerns and requesting that the Government reviews its policies to cash limit school budgets and to impose inequitable changes through its proposed National Funding Formula; and

 

(2)       To write to the Borough’s three MPs seeking their support for this resolution.”

 

An amendment was moved by Councillor John Joseph Kelly, seconded by Councillor Dams that the Motion be amended as follows:

 

Adding the following words after: (2) - ‘£649 year cut per school (£568 per pupil) in local primary schools’:

 

(3)       The NFF will downgrade Sefton from 97^th worst funded local authority for education out of 150 local authorities to 127^th worse funded.

 

(4)       The NFF will lead to a loss of funding equivalent to 190 support staff or 60 teachers that:

 

(5)       Will cause real harm to children and young people in Sefton because it will have a direct impact on Sefton’s Schools, Council and other stakeholder’s ability to deliver on the objectives set out in “Sefton’s Children and Young People’s Plan 2015-2020. The plan was developed with and endorsed by children and young people in Sefton.

 

Deleting the following words highlighted in italics:

 

This Council believes that real term cuts of this magnitude are simply unachievable, and that, if implemented, would have a severe negative impact on the education of children in this Borough.

 

and adding the following words highlighted in italics:

 

The Council believes that real term cuts of this magnitude are ideological not logical and are unachievable by any school in Sefton. Hardworking children and young people living in Sefton do not deserve this treatment and their futures will be harmed as a consequence.

 

Deleting the following words:

 

(1)       To write to the Secretary of State for Education expressing our serious concerns and requesting that the Government reviews its policies to cash limit school budgets and to impose inequitable changes through its proposed National Funding Formula; and

 

(2)       To write to the Borough’s three MPs seeking their support for this resolution.

 

and adding the following words:

 

(1)       To support the efforts made by Head Teachers, School Governors and Parents in Sefton who have made direct representations to the Prime Minister to highlight the harm the proposed NFF will have on the life chances of the hard working children and young people in Sefton.

(2)       To support the work already taken by the three MP’s in Sefton to bring to the attention of the Prime Minister the impact of her proposals.

(3)       To write to the Secretary of State for Education expressing our serious concerns and requesting that the government listens to the representations made, reviews its policies to cash limit schools budgets and the imposition of illogical and inequitable changes through its proposed NFF.

 

In accordance with Paragraph 71 in Chapter 4 of the Council Constitution, Councillor Shaw indicated that he accepted the amendment as a ‘friendly amendment to his Motion.

 

Following debate and on a show of hands, the Mayor declared that the Substantive Motion was carried by 50 votes to 4 with 2 abstentions and it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

This Council notes:

(1)       that, due to factors including:

·         Increases in Employers’ NI contribution rates for ‘contracted out’ employees

 

·         Increases in Employers’ Pension contribution rates for both the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and the Local Government Pension Scheme

 

·         Introduction of Apprenticeship Levy the impact of the Government freeze on school budgets will be that schools will see an average effective real terms cut of 8% in their funding by 2019/20 as compared to 2015/16.

 

(2)       that the proposed introduction of the National Funding Formula (NFF), in combination with the above, will see every school in the Borough suffer significant real terms cuts in funding by 2019/20 which, according to schoolscuts.org.uk, will amount to a total of £17.776 million a year across all Sefton schools, and, for individual schools, as much as:

·         £348,000 a year cut per school (£419 per pupil) in local primary schools

 

·         £649,000 year cut per school (£568 per pupil) in local secondary schools

 

(3)       The NFF will downgrade Sefton from 97^th worst funded local authority for education out of 150 local authorities to 127^th worse funded.

(4)       The NFF will lead to a loss funding equivalent to 190 support staff or 60 teachers that

(5)       Will cause real harm to children and young people in Sefton because it will have a direct impact on Sefton’s Schools, Council and other stakeholder’s ability to deliver on the objectives set out in “Sefton’s Children and Young People’s Plan 2015-2020. The plan was developed with and endorsed by children and young people in Sefton.

The Council believes that real term cuts of this magnitude are ideological not logical and are unachievable by any school in Sefton. Hardworking children and young people living in Sefton do not deserve this treatment and their futures will be harmed as a consequence.

This Council therefore resolves:

 

(1)       To support the efforts made by Head Teachers, School Governors and Parents in Sefton who have made direct representations to the Prime Minister to highlight the harm the proposed NFF will have on the life chances of the hard working children and young people in Sefton.

(2)       To support the work already taken by the three MP’s in Sefton to bring to the attention of the Prime Minister the impact of her proposals.

(3)       To write to the Secretary of State for Education expressing our serious concerns and requesting that the government listens to the representations made, reviews its policies to cash limit schools budgets and the imposition of illogical and inequitable changes through its proposed NFF.