MP urges Government to stump up cash for ‘much needed’ school expansions

Thornbury & Yate MP Claire Young has written to the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, urging her to make funding available to enable the building of a new school to serve Ladden Garden Village in Yate and to expand both Manorbrook Primary and Charfield Primary Schools.

In her letter, Claire Young MP highlighted how – under the previous Conservative administration - the developer contributions levied to enable school improvements have proven to be wholly inadequate to cover the actual cost of these projects, meaning work has stalled.

She also highlighted how South Gloucestershire Council is already hard-pressed financially and cannot afford to cover the difference between the actual cost of the new building alongside all the other work the authority is doing.

The Liberal Democrat MP has asked the Education Secretary to meet with her to discuss the challenges and to guarantee that the Government will stump up the cash to ensure this important work can go ahead without delay.

Claire Young MP said:

“Our local schools are reaching breaking point. After years of being let down by Conservatives, both in Westminster and in the Council chamber, it’s now more pressing than ever that we invest in our children’s education.

“Now we’re at risk of seeing vital school building work risk being held up by a lack of funding – in part due to the failure of the previous Conservative Council leadership to ensure developers pay their fair share. This simply isn’t right.

“The Government has rolled out sweeping house building targets but has so far failed to back this up with the cash to ensure we have the much needed school places necessary to serve these new homes.

“That’s why I am pushing for the Education Secretary to give a cast-iron guarantee that the funding needed to build a new school for Ladden Garden Valley and expand both Charfield and Manorbrook schools.”