News
Ed Balls sets out £2bn savings for schools
20 Sep 2009
Warning of post-election pay curbs, Mr Balls said: “If we are going to keep teachers and teaching assistants on the front line, that means we are going to have to be disciplined on public sector pay, including in education.” The Guardian reported this as a suggestion that he is willing to countenance cuts in parts of his budget, so long as the schools frontline budget itself is protected.
The announcement provoked criticism and comment from other political parties. The Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, said cuts in the schools budget would be absolute madness, while the shadow chancellor, George Osborne, said: "If there are huge inefficiencies out there in the schools budget, we should be making those savings right here and right now."
Read the article at the Times online. Read the article at The Guardian.
