Tory budget would see school spending gap rise to £881 per pupil

New figures released by the Welsh Liberal Democrats have revealed that Conservative budget proposals could see the spending gap between England and Wales rise to £881 per pupil. The new figures come the day after it was revealed that the Labour-Plaid government has allowed the spending gap per pupil to rise to a record level of £604 per pupil.

The Conservatives have proposed to protect bureaucracy and senior salaries in the NHS by slashing budgets in all other departments including housing, local government, education, economic development and rural affairs. Specifically, they have proposed to cut the education part of the local government budget by £128,350,430, equivalent to a further cut of £277 per pupil.

Commenting on the figures, Jenny Randerson AM, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Minister said: “Yesterday we saw the evidence that the Labour-Plaid government is failing our children. Welsh children deserve the same chances as children over the border but we spend £604 per pupil less than in England. Welsh children are now paying the price for this gross underfunding of schools over the last decade.

“The Conservatives are touring the television studios to condemn the Labour-Plaid funding gap when the reality of their proposals is that they would increase the gap up to an eye watering £881.

“It is time for the Conservatives to come clean with the Welsh public about what their budget proposals would mean.”