Worcester MP at the heart of the campaign for fairer funding for education

Robin Walker MP attends F40 Executive

Robin Walker spent the morning of Saturday 4 September at the Executive meeting of the campaign for fairer funding, f40, which, for many years has represented the lowest funded educational authorities and pushed governments of all colours to get a better deal.

The Worcester MP joined councillors, governors and parents representing a wide range of counties that are poorly funded and discussed their response to the government’s consultation on the pupil premium as well as their hopes for a more fundamental reform of the schools funding formula. In advance of the meeting he attended a briefing at Worcestershire County Council to get a detailed brief on the situation in Worcester.

Worcestershire pupils currently receive hundreds of pounds per pupil less than the national average and an astonishing £760 per pupil per year less than pupils in the neighbouring authority of Birmingham, something that Robin has been campaigning to change. Worcestershire is ranked 141st out of 150 councils for its per pupil funding.

Robin was welcomed at the meeting by f40 chairman Cllr Ivan Ould from Leicestershire, the lowest funded county of all and was accompanied by three school governors and parents from Worcestershire, making it the best represented County at the meeting. In the last Parliamentary term, Robin championed the cause of fairer funding, making it a key element of his maiden speech and tabling an Early Day Motion to support the f40 campaign. He has agreed to work closely with f40 and support them in their engagements with Parliament and the Coalition Government.

Robin said

“The campaign for fairer funding is beyond party politics, it is a campaign based on natural justice and getting a better deal for children. Worcestershire has had a raw deal for too long and I am determined to make progress on this issue. I support a pupil premium to get more money to the most deprived children everywhere but what was absolutely clear from the meeting today, is that there needs to be a much more fundamental reform of the funding formula.

“The f40 campaign has a huge amount of expertise on the issue and it is listened to by the government when it comes to funding because they are able to bring a detailed knowledge of the issues to the debate as well as their passion for reform. I have been asked to attend the f40 campaign’s meeting with the Schools Minister at the end of this month and I will be very happy to do so.”

Back to news

• Contact the f40 group
• Print page
• Bookmark page

Copyright © 2010 f40 Group. Designed and developed by DTW