Swansea Council's Lib-Dem Leadership gets detention over school budget cuts

Labour councillors strongly criticised the Lib-Dem run Swansea Council today for its mismanagement of school finances.

Swansea Labour Leader, Cllr David Phillips said, “Cllr Mike Day is being disingenuous when he says that some schools “may choose to cut teaching staff”. Giving less than 1% increase, whilst at the same time passing on the teachers pay award, pay and prices and other commitments means the average shortfall in schools is 4.7%. Headteachers have no other option but to cut staff. His sums just don’t add up. He and Chris Holley clearly need extra lessons in arithmetic.”

At a meeting with Chairs of Governors on Tuesday, the Director of Education confirmed the drastic cuts that were being made in education spending and confirmed that with the expected 200+% increase in the financial deficit over the next four years the situation was unlikely to get better. No members of the Lib-Dem run Cabinet attended the meeting.

Labours Education spokesman, Cllr John Miles, criticised the Council Leader and Cabinet Member for failing to attend a meeting Cllr Mike who was present, said, “It was regrettable, but not surprising, that both Cllr Day and the Council Leader failed to attend. They would have some serious explaining to do if they had. On information we have gathered so far, schools are seriously talking about redundancies of at least 100 teachers and 100 support staff across the county.”

Labour allege that losses of this scale will inevitably, and unavoidably, result in less teaching time, increased class sizes, mixed age classes, reduced one-to-one tuition and extra support for literacy and numeracy. These in turn could lead to a reduction in school hours, even half or full day closures and children sent home in the event of unplanned absence such as staff sickness.

Cllr Miles said, “Any of these scenarios will have a serious impact on the delivery of the curriculum and inevitable disruption to parents arrangements for their children and their available working hours.”

Cllr Miles said, “This cannot be blamed on the Welsh Assembly. NeathPort Talbot have passed on the full 1.7% increase they received for education in their Assembly settlement, as well as partially funding the teachers pay award. Swansea is already spending £330 less per child than NeathPort Talbot, this gap could now rise to £400. Swansea’s children should not have to pay the price for Cllr Holley’s irresponsible financial mismanagement”.