Henry Smith MP column, RH Uncovered Magazine, January 2016

I wish to start this month’s column by thanking everyone who signed my Crawley petition for fair school funding.

Our petition in Crawley was run in conjunction with other Members of Parliament in England, as part of a campaign to secure a fairer funding settlement for pupils.

At the start of December, I was delighted to present my Crawley Fair School Funding petition in the House of Commons.

The previous week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that the Government will be introducing the first ever national funding formula for schools.

The announcement will mean an end to the current unfair system, which has lasted for decades and led to a situation where the ten best funded areas of England receive an average of £6,300 per pupil of schools block funding, compared to just £4,200 in the ten worst funded areas – including West Sussex.

The Government will be launching a detailed consultation in 2016 and implement the new formulae from 2017-18. There will be a transitional period to help smooth the implementation of the new formula.

If I may be able to assist during 2016, please do not hesitate to contact me using the details below.

Henry Smith MP

House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
01293 934554/020 7219 7043 
[email protected]

www.henrysmith.info
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