A new week, a new kick in the particulars from the Conservative government.
After last week’s VAT rise, we now have the final masterstroke in Michael Gove’s plan to stop that horrific scheme to continue improving schools. You can just see it now, the last Labour government sitting in the death star, cackling away as it planned to give kids a school building with a functioning roof. Evil. That’s what it was. Pure, undiluted evil.
Seriously though, Gove’s latest mad cap lunge at policy making is one that could have an even bigger impact than Nick and Dave’s VAT rise. In one swoop the government has taken funding from an excellent and affordable schools programme that builds on past investment in a way that surely, even in these tough economic times, could have been protected. It was designed to renew or rebuild tired buildings that had not been covered by past projects, or needed a further uplift to keep them to a high standard.
But now, that has all been binned, either placed under review or scrapped. The “axe” list for Lambeth – revealed late last week after a few more tiresome Gove Gaffs – is a long one and tallies to a staggering £200 million. Thousands of children and their families will be affected. And the final cherry on the cake is that Lambeth has already spent more than £6 million on preparing planning permissions and producing designs for the eleven new schools which were to go ahead. That will now go down the drain.
None of the schools are thankfully in Clapham Town, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care. Besides the fact it is plain wrong, these cuts to schools, like those being announced elsewhere by Vince, Nick and Davie on a daily basis, will have a much wider impact than just the areas they are in.
By cancelling these projects, money will also be sucked out of local businesses, particularly construction firms, who may have to cut the pay or even the jobs of their employees – hard working labourers, engineers and so on. These people will obviously face a tough time ahead and will cut back on their own spending, resulting on a further impact for the local economy. Whether you have kids or not, this is a move that could well have a knock on effect on you or your friends, even if you don’t directly realise it.
To fight these cuts, Lambeth Labour are now leading a ‘Save Our Schools’ campaign, to shame the Tory/Lib Dem government into reversing this decision. They are urging local residents to write to Education secretary Michael Gove telling him how their decision will affect their education, and urging him to restore the funding Lambeth needs.
He can be contacted at the below addresses – get in touch and express your views!
The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Secretary of State for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT
Or email: ministers@education.gsi.gov.uk
One Comment for “School cuts in Lambeth”