Council Accused Of Misleading Parents When It Comes To Education Funding

Local Liberal Democrats have highlighted figures showing the cuts in real terms experienced by local Schools in the East Riding.

Between 2015 and 2019 , schools in the East Riding lost out on £21.8 million equivalent to -£166 per pupil. 

The loss in funding by some of the schools is Hessle High (-£2.5 mill) Wolfreton School (-£1.3 mill) Driffield School ( -£1.2 mill) Bridlington School (£-1.1 mill) Pocklington Woldgate (-£903k), South Hunsley (-£730K), Longcroft Beverley (-£616K) Cottingham  High (-£590K)  Beverley High (-£ 314K)

East Riding of Yorkshire Full Council Meeting their Motion was blocked by the ruling Conservative group who deleted references to the cuts being experienced.

Cllr Denis Healy says schools in Beverley are suffering as a result of the shortfall in funding. He was also left frustrated by the local authority acusing Tory councillors of putting their Westminster Master’s first.

He said;

“The East Riding of Yorkshire has consistently been one of the lowest funded local authorities in the country, and figures show that Beverley schools have suffered a combined funding shortfall of £1.3m over the last three years.”

“The Liberal Democrat opposition put forward a simple motion to full council to keep up the lobbying pressure on MPs and government for fairer funding, but the ERYC Conservatives chose to put their Westminster masters before Beverley’s schools and families by voting down the motion.”

“The Conservative council’s pretence that funding in our schools isn’t an issue is a serious dereliction of their duty and Lib Dems will continue to hold them to account.”

His views were shared by the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Cllr David Nolan. He says that the council are ‘misleading parents’ while adding it is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

He said;

“The East Riding Conservatives Education Spokesperson Cllr Julie Abraham is misleading parents by covering up the extent of the real cuts. A School in her own Ward (South Hunsley) has suffered cuts of £730,000 over four years.”

“Meanwhile the Conservative Leader of the Council (Councillor Burton) who represents Bridlington, is turning a blind eye to the cuts of £1.1 Million that have been inflicted on Bridlington School. We have the smoke and mirrors of Government announcements of additional funding for Schools, Police and Hospitals that are not worth the paper they are printed on and are just election gimmicks.”

“The Conservatives are pretending that everything is rosy in local schools but even the East Riding Council’s own reports say Schools are facing significant cost pressures and are in a worsening financial position with costs increasing at a higher rate than the additional funding received.”