Analysis produced by the campaign website School Cuts has shown that both Conservative and Liberal Democrat plans would result in a loss of teachers across Bath.
Under Conservative proposals, School Cuts says that 75 teachers would be lost, while 26 would go as a result of Lib Dem plans. The website says Labour’s policies would lead to an increase of 52 teachers in the city.
The campaign has used data from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, HM Treasury and the Department for Education to come up with its figures.
According to its analysis, a total of £2.5 million would be cut from Bath school budgets by the Conservatives and £1.1 million by the Liberal Democrats. An extra £1.7 million would be allocated to local schools by Labour.
Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Bath, Joe Rayment, said: “It has now become absolutely clear that neither the Conservatives nor the Liberal Democrats are on the side of our young people.
“What is on the ballot paper at this election is the number of teachers in our schools. You can vote for 75 fewer teachers under the Conservatives, 26 fewer teachers under the Lib Dems or 52 more teachers under Labour.”
School Cuts has asked all the candidates in Bath to pledge to vote against any real-terms cuts to school funding.
The pledge has already been signed by Joe Rayment (Labour) and Eleanor Field (Green), but not by the Lib Dem and Conservative candidates, Wera Hobhouse and Ben Howlett.
The biggest losses would be at Ralph Allen School, which is set to lose £384,466 under the Conservatives and £230,071 under the Liberal Democrats. Under Labour, its funding would be boosted by £142,089.
Out of the 29 schools in Bath, all would gain funding under Labour, 18 would lose funding under the Lib Dems and 25 would lose funding under the Conservatives.
