Published at 16:26, Friday, 12 October 2012

A COUNTY chief has written to an education minister inviting him to visit Cumbria’s schools and help alleviate the potential funding crisis ahead.

CUMBRIA COUNTY COUNCIL LEADER EDDIE MARTIN

Changes to the way schools are to be funded in the future could see budgets cut by as much 15 per cent for some South Cumbria schools.

Cumbria County Council has said the national changes to the schools funding formula is weighted heavily towards requirements of urban areas.

In a letter to David Laws MP, minister of state for schools, county council leader Eddie Martin asks for more flexibility for Cumbria so the funding factors can reflect the local needs.

Cllr Martin says: “We do not consider that the formula gives appropriate consideration to a large, rural county with sparsely populated areas.”

The local authority has considered a wide range of ways of how a lump sum can be given to schools to help smooth the impact of the changes. If a lump sum of £70,000 were given to each school, the council believes this would cause “ the least financial turbulence to schools that are significantly affected”.

However, at this level 31 schools would lose between six per cent and 31 per cent of their budget.

Councils have to submit plans for the model they will use to the government by October 31.

Cllr Martin highlights that: “Some schools, while very small, are also serving communities at such a distance from other centres as to make it irrational to close them.

“We are not looking for an option which enables us to evade the need to rationalise the estate: we are looking for a pragmatic solution which enables us to acknowledge the very real requirements of a large county with pockets of very sparse population.”

The council leader asks for:

l Local authorities to be able to apply an additional factor to reflect the cost of operating in sparse areas where a cash sum will be allocated to reflect these costs.

The allocations would be based on objective criteria, reflecting the unique circumstances of each affected school and would be recommended to the local authority through the Schools Forum.

l The Department for Education to allow three or four, rather than two years, of protection through the minimum funding guarantee to enable measured planning, consultation and preparation to take place in implementing the new arrangements.

Mr Martin also invites Mr Laws “to visit some of our rural schools and see for yourself what a first class job they are doing.”

South Lakes MP, Tim Farron, has also spoken to Mr Laws, asking him to intervene to protect Cumbrian schools.

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