Agenda item

It has been reported that when he was Chancellor, Rishi Sunak refused to properly fund a school rebuilding programme.

Council utterly condemns this and calls on the Government to urgently fund vital school repair projects in Leeds. 

It was moved by Councillor Pryor, seconded by Councillor Sewards that it has been reported that when he was Chancellor, Rishi Sunak refused to properly fund a school rebuilding programme.

Council utterly condemns this and calls on the Government to urgently fund vital school repair projects in Leeds.

An amendment was moved by Councillor Stephenson, seconded by Councillor Lamb

Delete all and replace with the following:

“This Council welcomes significant investment in Leeds schools, academies, free schools and colleges in recent years.

“This includes a share of the £1.8 billion in funding from the School Rebuilding Programme for Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (Rothwell), Mount St. Mary’s Catholic High School, John Jamieson School, St. Mary’s Menston, Oulton Academy, Brigshaw High School and Wetherby High School.

“Council further welcomes a share of the £8.5 billion funding from the Free Schools Programme for Co-op Academy Brierley, Leeds Mathematics School, Terry Elliot Academy, Thorpe Park College, Leeds Jewish Free School, Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy, University Technical College Leeds, the Ruth Gorse Academy, Trinity Academy Leeds, Temple Learning Academy Free School, Dixon’s Trinity Chapeltown, Primley Wood Primary School, Nightingale Primary School, Lane End Primary, Elements Primary School, Elliot Hudson College, Lighthouse School Leeds, The Elland Academy, and The Stephen Longfellow Academy.

“Council also notes significant funding awarded to Leeds schools via Basic Need Grant Funding and directly to Leeds academies through the Condition Improvement Fund, which has delivered building extensions, repairs and improvements including decarbonisation.

“Council recognises that many schools and academies in Leeds are still grappling with budget pressures arising directly from the last Labour government’s decision to award costly Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts for school building programmes. As a direct result of these contracts and the excessive cost of varying deeds, funding intended for the education of children and young people in Leeds is instead diverted to private equity firms. Council therefore calls on the Conservative government to continue funding school repairs, rebuilds and improvements through the programmes listed in this motion and rejects any proposal to return to Labour’s regressive PFI programme.”

The amendment in the name of Councillor Stephenson was declared lost and upon being put to the vote it was

RESOLVED – That it has been reported that when he was Chancellor, Rishi Sunak refused to properly fund a school rebuilding programme.

Council utterly condemns this and calls on the Government to urgently fund vital school repair projects in Leeds.

On the requisition of Councillor Pryor and Lewis the voting on the motion in the name of Councillor Pryor was recorded as follows;

YES – 68

Akhtar, Ali, Almass, Arif, Bithell, Bowden, Bromley, Brooks, Burke, Carlill, Coupar, Dowson, Dye, Edwards, Farley, Flint, France-Mir, Garvani, Gibson, Grahame, Gruen, Hamilton, Hannan, Harland, Hayden, Heselwood, Hinchcliffe,  A Hussain, Z Hussain, Iqbal, Jenkins, Jones, Khan, Lennox, Lewis, Maloney, Manaka, Marshall-Katung, Martin, McCluskey, McKenna, Millar, Parnham, Pryor, Rafique, Renshaw, Ritchie, Rontree, Scopes, Sewards, Shahzad, Sharpe, Taylor, Thomson, Tudor, Venner, Wilson, Wray, Dixon, Pogson-Golden, Campbell, Blackburn, Carlisle, Chapman, Downes, Golton, Hart-Brooke and Lay

NO – 17

Alderson, B Anderson, C Anderson, L Buckley, N Buckley, Amanda Carter, Cohen, Firth, Flynn, Foster, Harrington, Lamb, Robinson, D Seary, S Seary, Smith and Stephenson.

ABSTAIN – 5

Finnigan, Gettings, Kidger, Newton and Senior,