A WIRRAL councillor says the borough is heading to an education crisis unless more is done to protect schools from planned Government budget cuts.

Schools are collectively set to lose more than £1.3m under the Government's National Funding Formula (NFF) - which is adjusted for the impact of inflation and cost increases imposed on schools - and the impact of the new apprentice levy.

Oxton Liberal Democrat councillor Stuart Kelly fears the move could lead to fewer teachers.

He told the Globe today: "There has been a lot of concern about deficits being built up as the NHS struggles to cope with demand and budget shortfalls, I can see a similar crisis for education heading our way.

"Wirral's community schools face a problem of fairness and equity as the Government introduces the 'apprenticeship levy'. 

"The levy is clearly aimed at business and industry to encourage the employment of apprentices but the Government has also bizarrely decreed the levy applies to our community schools, claiming that their payroll should be counted in with the rest of the Councils.

"The problem is, who has ever heard of an apprentice teacher, schools will have to pay the levy with limited ability to claim back any apprentice training credits.

"Even more unfairly the levy only applies to the council community and voluntary controlled schools; voluntary aided schools Foundation, Academy and Trust schools will not have to pay as their overall wage bill likely excludes them from inclusion in the levy scheme.

"This is cannot be described as a fair system."

Wirral Council leader, Cllr Phil Davies told the Globe: "While the idea of encouraging apprenticeships is welcomed, as with so much this government does, it creates more problems than solutions.

"Including schools in the levy calculation discriminates between council supported schools and academies, and the way the formula is set up the council can only spend money on training instead of funding the apprentices at a proper living wage".

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