Holmes attacks Labour over short-changing of Derbyshire pupils

12.58.00pm GMT Tue 9th Mar 2010

The Labour Government has short-changed Derbyshire schoolchildren by more and more each year since 1997, according to figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrat MP, Paul Holmes. Ten years ago, the average pupil in Derbyshire received £230 less than the England average. Now, pupils in the county receive almost £400 less per year.

These figures, revealed through answers to parliamentary questions by Paul Holmes MP show that:

• Labour has consistently funded Derbyshire's children less than those in the rest of England.

• A child, who finished a Derbyshire primary school last July, has received £1,760 less than the average pupil in England.

• Secondary schools have suffered particularly badly. There is a yawning gap between their funding in Derbyshire and England. The difference between Derbyshire and England increased from £60 per pupil in 1997 to £310 in 2008-09.

Paul Holmes said:

"People in Derbyshire simply cannot understand why the Government has spent so much less on our pupils for the last 10 years."

"A child, who started school in Chesterfield when Labour came to power, will now be 16/17. This young constituent has now received £2,900 less than average thanks to the Government's unfair funding formula. A school of 1,000 pupils would have received nearly £3 million less to spend on staff, resources and personal tuition."

"Why does the Government believe that Derbyshire's children are worth so much less than children elsewhere in England?"

Related Link:

The full answer in the House of Commons Official Report