A MONMOUTHSHIRE councillor is calling on the Welsh Government to scrap proposed cuts of £15million to the Education Improvement Grant which he says which will heap further pressure on school budgets in Wales.

Monmouthshire’s cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Richard John, has written to cabinet secretary, Kirsty Williams, urging her to reconsider.

Councillor John stated,’The Education Improvement Grant funds teachers and teaching assistants for the youngest and most vulnerable children in our schools.

‘Here in Monmouthshire, we are consistently ranked as delivering some of the best outcomes in Wales at the Foundation Phase and these standards are delivered with the tireless efforts of teachers and teaching assistants.

“The Welsh Government claims to prioritise education, yet these grant cuts will reduce the amount schools have to spend on their most valuable asset – good teachers.

‘I recognise there are difficult budget choices to make, but the Welsh Government has over £300million in unallocated reserves and has just received a windfall of £1.2billion from the Chancellor’s Budget, so could well afford to protect £15million for schools.’

A Welsh Government spokesman stated, ‘We have set a draft budget which continues to protect Welsh public services from UK Government austerity.

‘Our budget provides protection for schools including prioritising £170 million to enable Local Government to maintain frontline schools delivery [at 2017-18 levels] over the next two years.

‘The 21st Century Schools and Education Programme sees the biggest investment in our school and college infrastructure since the 1960s.

‘The Band A programme which will end in 2019, represents investment of more than £1.4 billion in more than 150 projects to rebuild and refurbish our educational infrastructure.

‘This hugely ambitious programme to improve the learning environment for our learners will continue with the recently announced Band B Programme in 2019.’