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School Funding cuts and more

School Funding Cuts
At least 6 planned school rebuilding projects in Walsall have been stopped and 3 more are under discussion.

The Government put a halt to the schemes yesterday when it announced major funding cuts for education, part of the whole plan to cut the country's spending deficit and debt.

Originally Labour had committed £55 Billion across the country for refurbs and rebuilds.

At least 700 schools are now affected, in Walsall they are:

Grace Academy, Darlaston

Shelfield Community Academy

Alumwell Business and Enterprise College

Frank F Harrison

Joseph Leckie Technology College

Pool Hayes Arts and Community College

Shire Oak Science College

The Streetly Sports College

Walsall UTC

I expect that the primary school programme to upgrade many primary schools will now also be cut for schools such as Christchurch on Harden Road.
In Sandwell it is even worse with the announcement that their school programme was safe only to hear the Minister apologise and said he got it wrong and their programme is cancelled also.
Along with the cuts of around £50 million being looked at by Walsall Tory Council on top of the £5 Million last year on social services and another £6 million extra this year.
In the Labour group of Councillors we shall be trying to highlight damage to front line services and plead for mitigation as much as possible.. that is if they will listen!!
This Council also faces a £50 million bill for equal pay with a large number of currrent tribunals challenging cases by employees.

regards
Cllr Ian Robertson
Blakenall Ward

News from Walsall Council

We learn that the latest news to tory run Walsall from this Tory Government is that funding for the Borough has been cut by a further £6 million pounds, including over £2Million on education alone. The details are being worked out by the tory cabinet at the moment , but we await the details and will be probing especially the effects on the most vulnerable and already disadvantaged in the Borough and even more so in wards we represent.




The news that we shall not be sending any more children to Bryntysillio and that Willenhall Leisure centre will close is bad news for those from more disadvantaged backgrounds who value such opportunities. This Borough faces a serious problem of overweight children which will result in many such now children being outlived by their parents.



The committee looking at the loss by this Council of £ 3 million pounds due to poor record keeping and poor officer management met last Monday and it was admitted that the records are there but not in the right files and so claims back cannot be made. Next Monday the audit committee looks at the draft accounts for the Council and seeing that we have 91officers ( excluding education where we have 215 more) earning over £50000 a year and a chief executive earning over £190,000 a year .. that is £40000 more than the prime minister… are we getting value for money as council tax payers?
We also read that the tory cabinet in July is proposing to charge everyone for a replacement wheelie bin including those where the gree bin has worn out after 10 years service... and so the other bins brown and grey will also all be charged £18.50 but probalby going up to £25! The benefits of paying council tax are gradually diminishing!
what do you think?

The news that 1 in 5 cancer patients are having to wait over 2 months to get treatment was revealed by the Primary care trust in their annual meeting… can they imagine what it is like to have to wait that long to find out if you have a possibly fatal illness and have some treatment?

We shall as labour councillors be pursuing these issues with vigour and welcome your comments.

Regards

Cllr Ian Robertson Cllr Bob Thomas

Blakenall Ward ( Labour)

MP surgeries

The next Suregery for Valerie will be on 19th June Palfrey Sure Start South Street Walsall WS1 4HF as advertised in the  Walsall Advertiser. Contact number is at present vai the House of Commons 020 7219 7176 and email address is valerie4walsall@gmail.com or write House of Commons London SW1A OAA

Welcome to our new MP Valerie Vaz

We welcome our new MP Valerie Vaz who is already working for us down in Westminster. We intend to post surgery times and places here as they at present are advertised in the Walsall Advertiser for each Saturday in alternating wards for Walsall South.