Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 10:35 am on 11 April 2003.

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Photo of Phil Willis Phil Willis Shadow Spokesperson (Education) 10:35, 11 April 2003

I do not know the school in question, but I shall take it for granted that the hon. Gentleman is right. In fact, the only Member who has spoken in this House in support of the additional money going into school budgets is Dr. Iddon, because all the money is going to Bolton. At least we now know that that is the answer. We are obviously delighted for the Bolton schools, but elsewhere the situation is pretty dismal. However, the serious point is that this comes at a time when schools are being asked to implement the time and work load agreement. At the very time when they are being told to take on additional advanced teaching assistants as part of the education reforms, their budgets do not allow them to do so, and they are actually reducing staff and sacking classroom assistants. What sort of message does that send?

The Secretary of State is incredibly sincere about trying to get the vocational agenda working in our schools, but how on earth can we invest in that agenda when budgets are being cut by as much as £250,000? We have to revisit this issue; it is not good enough simply to say that for the next three years there will be a lot of pain. We cannot do that. Some 15 per cent. of schools without sixth forms and 19 per cent. of schools with sixth forms had deficit budgets last year. For all of them, the chances of implementing the work load agreement is virtually nil. That is a real issue not simply for the National Union of Teachers, which the Secretary of State will not speak to, but for every single school in the country.

To date, schools have been dazzled by the magic of the Harry Potter of British politics, young Miliband. However, the reality has now dawned that Hogwart's is a very different school from the local community comprehensive. One cannot magic resources if they are not there. The Chancellor could have used his Budget as an opportunity to throw those schools a lifeline, but he chose to do nothing. In many ways, this is a buck-passing Budget. Just as the right hon. Gentleman failed to accept any of the blame for the poor performance of the UK economy, he has laid the blame for this crisis firmly—and wrongly—at the door of local authorities.

Yes, there may be the odd Conservative-controlled council, such as Norfolk, that is hoarding schools' money, but I challenge the Secretary of State here and now to carry out an audit of all local authorities, and to publicly declare what money they are actually holding back in each of the categories mentioned yesterday. If the Secretary of State is right, there is a major problem and we have to tackle it. I should point out that the Liberal Democrats will support the Secretary of State in dealing with it, because it cannot be right to be crying wolf if significant resources are being hoarded elsewhere.