SCHOOLS IN BLACKPOOL AND CLEVELEYS could be forced to hand up to £300,000 every year under a new Government “tax” on prudent head teachers. In a little-noticed move, the Government wants as many as 20,000 primary, secondary and special schools to surrender cash to cash-strapped local authorities.
Under the plan, any school with extra money at the end of the year will be forced to hand a share back to town halls. They will lose five per cent of outstanding balances – even if it is being saved for new buildings, playground improvements, sports facilities or drama studios. Ministers insist it is designed to claw back £85 million lying unspent in school bank accounts every year.
This is a desperate measure by the Government to make up for low grant settlements to both Blackpool and Cleveleys, and it means that children in schools across our community will the ones who pay the price.
Under the latest figures available, schools with a surplus at the end of 2005/06 had over £5 million available for further investment in their schools. This money, in many cases, is being built up by schools for big capital projects that the Government won’t fund. By raising that money now, means there were be less available in future.
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