Proposed by Councillor Tony Smith

Seconded by Councillor Warren Ward

Council is opposed to the government’s imposition of real term funding cuts on schools by freezing per-pupil funding while inflation and the cost of employer pension and national insurance contributions increase. This affects all schools and academies alike. Without further funding, schools will lose £3bn in real terms by 2020.

This Council does not want children in this country to miss out on a decent education, supplied by dedicated teachers and support staff with sufficient resources. The average primary school cut is £87,000 or £339 per pupil. The average secondary cut is £405,000 or £477 per pupil. Wirral schools could lose up to £15,696,153. That is 421 teachers or 872 support staff.

Council agrees to write to the Secretary of State for Education to demand that these damaging cuts be reversed.

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Two amendments which had been circulated in advance of the meeting were submitted in accordance with Standing Order 12(1) and (9), as follows:

Amendment 1

Proposed by Councillor Stuart Kelly

Seconded by Councillor Alan Brighouse

Insert after final para:

Council notes the introduction of the Apprentice Levy from April 2017 and the fact that Maintained schools' employee costs are included within the overall Council employee budget, whilst Voluntary Aided, Foundation, Academy and Trust schools are not included within the overall Council budget and, as such, are not liable to pay the Levy unless their employee budget exceeds £3m.

Council further notes that, should the Levy be applied to Community and Voluntary Controlled Maintained schools, it is estimated that their budgets will be negatively affected by a total of £369,711 as follows:

•  Nursery Schools – £7,065

•  Primary Schools – £266,680

•  Secondary Schools – £35,100

•  Special Schools – £60,866

Council, therefore, calls upon the Leader of the Council to manage the Apprentice Levy corporately within the HR corporate training budget on behalf of the Council and Community and Voluntary Controlled schools and to work with appropriate Maintained schools to develop a mechanism whereby Community and Voluntary Controlled Maintained schools who access the digital account contribute the equivalent training costs from their delegated budget to the Council.

Council agrees to write to appropriate Ministers to request an exemption for schools from the Apprentice Levy.

Amendment 2

Proposed by Councillor Phil Gilchrist

Seconded by Councillor Alan Brighouse

Insert after para two:

Council recognises the concerns expressed in the report of the National Audit Office on the ‘Financial sustainability of schools’ published on 14 December 2016 and the more recent concerns expressed at the annual Conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

Council is aware that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is widely reported to have set aside substantial revenues to deal with the uncertainty surrounding ‘Brexit’, evidence of which can be found in document Cm 9419 ‘Economic and fiscal outlook’ published by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Council, therefore, requests that, given the urgent need to retain and improve standards, develop a skilled and productive workforce and prepare the economy for the future, funding from this ‘war chest’ should be released to prepare for these challenges as soon as possible.

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Following a debate and Councillor Smith having replied, the first amendment was then put and lost (5:54) (One abstention).

The second amendment was then put and carried (40:18) (One abstention).

The substantive motion was then put and carried (40:18) (One abstention).

RESOLVED (40:18) (One abstention) - That

1)  Council is opposed to the government’s imposition of real term funding cuts on schools by freezing per-pupil funding while inflation and the cost of employer pension and national insurance contributions increase. This affects all schools and academies alike. Without further funding, schools will lose £3bn in real terms by 2020.

2)  Council recognises the concerns expressed in the report of the National Audit Office on the ‘Financial sustainability of schools’ published on 14 December 2016 and the more recent concerns expressed at the annual Conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

3)  Council is aware that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is widely reported to have set aside substantial revenues to deal with the uncertainty surrounding ‘Brexit’, evidence of which can be found in document Cm 9419 ‘Economic and fiscal outlook’ published by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

4)  Council, therefore, requests that, given the urgent need to retain and improve standards, develop a skilled and productive workforce and prepare the economy for the future, funding from this ‘war chest’ should be released to prepare for these challenges as soon as possible.

5)  This Council does not want children in this country to miss out on a decent education, supplied by dedicated teachers and support staff with sufficient resources. The average primary school cut is £87,000 or £339 per pupil. The average secondary cut is £405,000 or £477 per pupil. Wirral schools could lose up to £15,696,153. That is 421 teachers or 872 support staff.

6)  Council agrees to write to the Secretary of State for Education to demand that these damaging cuts be reversed.

Procedural Matter

At this point Councillor Blakeley requested that the enforcement of the guillotine (Standing Order 9) be removed to allow debate on the remaining Notices of Motion. Having been formally moved and seconded, the motion was put to the vote.

The motion was put and lost (25:34) (One abstention).

NB.  The following Councillors requested that their objections be recorded:

Councillors T Anderson, B Berry, C Blakeley, E Boult, D Burgess-Joyce, W Clements, D Elderton, G Ellis, J Green, P Hayes, AC Hodson, K Hodson, I Lewis, C Povall, L Rennie, L Rowlands, A Sykes, GCJ Watt and S Williams.