The Tories at Devon County Council have voted through £2.2 million of further school budget cuts.

This is on top of the Westminster Tory cuts to some 200 Devon schools through their new “Fair Funding” formula. Libdem proposals to find the money from the advertising budget or the £400,000 the County Council uses for renting meeting rooms have been rejected by the Tories.

If the Tories have their way the schools serving Barnstaple South will face the following cuts to their budgets:

Barnstaple School	Tory Funding Cut
The Park	£42,900
Pilton College	£41,019
Forches	£4,917
Newport	£14,223
Orchard Vale	£10,230
Sticklepath	£11,913
Our Lady’s	£6,237

Right now the Government pays schools in Devon £290 a year LESS for each child than the national average. The Government has announced a new “Fairer Funding” plan that was supposed to put his right, but in reality  means that around 200 schools in Devon will actually have their budgets cut, while other schools will get a bit more.

As if that were not bad enough the Conservatives running Devon County Council plan their own additional cuts to our schools, taking away £2.2 million. That is a £33 cut for every child in Devon. The Tories did not have to make this decision – they could have turned to their reserves of £11 million or cut some of the £2 million a year they spent on advertising, marketing and public relations or reduced the £400,000 the Council spends each year on renting meeting rooms. But just as with last year when faced with the need to make cuts the Conservatives chose to hit our young people and their education by axing our lollipop ladies.

Devon County Council Tories plan additional £33 school cut for every child in Devon

This is so short sighted. I believe  that our children deserve the best education we can provide to enable  them to make the  most of life’s opportunities. Our children have the right to expect the same level of funding as anywhere else in the country – not more cuts from Theresa May’s Government or the Conservatives at County Hall.

The Liberal Democrats have pledged that if were are returned to power in the County Elections in five weeks time on 4 May that we shall reverse the cuts to Devon’s schools.

Sign our petition calling for Devon’s schools to be properly funded from Central Government and to stop the local Conservatives £2.2 million cut. Our children deserve better. Its time for a change!

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