The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on the government to abandon plans to cut a £600m grant used to improve schools.
The association which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, has urged ministers to spare local authorities from cuts to the Education Services Grant, which its says is used to provide essential services to maintained schools.
The LGA says government plans to scrap the grant by August 2017 will leave councils with little means to pay for vital school services such as education welfare, school improvement, admissions, HR, early years, exam validation, recruitment and transport.
Councillor Richard Watts, chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said councils need “sufficient funding” to “discharge these vital responsibilities”.
“We do not believe there is capacity within the system to withdraw funding and powers for councils to support school improvement and hold schools to account in August 2017 as currently planned by the government,” he added.
“The £600 million proposed cut to the Education Services Grant should be reversed to maintain improvement capacity within the schools system. This will benefit both council-maintained schools and academies.”
The LGA argues that support from Teaching School Alliances, multi-academy trusts and regional schools commissioners does not have the “track record of success”.
The plea to reverse the cuts is contained in the LGA’s submission to the Treasury ahead of the Autumn Statement next week, which argues that around £815 million per year has been spent on the ESG for councils and academies.
It comes after the Conservative-dominated County Councils Network warned that abolishing the ESG would leave councils with a £600m black hole.
Last month, CCN chairman Councillor Paul Carter said the complete removal of the grant will leave councils with a “virtually non-existent budget in which to improve standards”.
“The long term consequences of this are far more damaging than the short-term and only deliver modest savings for the Treasury’s budget,” he said.
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