Mid Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddleston contributed to the House of Commons education debate on the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday, focusing on the commitment made to a fairer funding formula for the UK’s schools.
Earlier in the day, Mr Huddleston stated that Government spending is forecast to be £802 billion this year, far more than the £715 billion of public spending seen in 2010/11. Developing this point, he opened his speech by outlining how last week’s Queen’s Speech was primarily about building on successes, saying: “We can reflect on where we are in 2017: we have the highest employment level in this nation’s history, and unemployment is at a 45-year low. Over the past seven years 29 million people have had a tax cut and 4 million people have been taken out of paying income tax altogether, while the top 1% of taxpayers pay 28% of all income tax. The tax-free allowance has increased from £6,450 to £11,500. At the same time we have been paying off debt and Government expenditure has increased significantly so that we have record spending on health, education, pensions and disabled people—the last of those is up by £3 billion in real terms since 2010”.
He then moved on to the issue of education and fairer funding for schools. Worcestershire schools on average receive less money per pupil than the national average. The government’s proposed new funding formula would mean that most schools in Worcestershire would receive more money. No school in the country would lose in cash terms, but any increased spending on schools would be focused on the currently most underfunded areas.
Mr Huddleston said: “I am pleased that we are committed to £4 billion extra for education during this Parliament. Education is the key to providing opportunities for young people and enabling social mobility.
It is vital, therefore, that we have an education funding system that is fair and reasonable to all. Money is not everything, but it certainly helps. If we look at the improvements in educational outcomes that we have seen in London over the last few years, there is no doubt that the huge amount of money spent there has helped to enable great success. But let us contrast the significant differences in per-pupil funding. For example, in Tower Hamlets the figure is now £6,965 per pupil per year which contrasts sharply with funding in my constituency, which is £4,319 per pupil per year. We must therefore focus on fairer funding, because there is nothing honourable and absolutely nothing morally superior in maintaining the blatantly unfair existing system.”
The Queen’s Speech was passed in a vote in the House of Commons on Thursday 29th June.