The vote on a motion by Councillor Debby Blakebrough for Monmouthshire County Council to fund the one per cent teachers pay increase for seven months from September 2013 to March 2014 was defeated at a meeting at full council last week reports STEPHEN PENN.

Councillor Blakebrough put forward the motion that schools had been unfairly given this news so long after they had already set their budgets for the year and said that it was the council's responsibility to cover this increase for the months stated in an effort to preserve educational progression.

"As far as I am aware, the council knew about the possibility of this one per cent increase to teachers pay as early as March, yet the schools were not informed until September," she said.

"This is not acceptable, and because of this, the council must take some accountability in this, and offer to pay the first seven months, so the schools can prepare themselves for taking on this burden in the 2014/15 financial year."

Councillor Robert Hayward backed up this suggestion, and said, "This problem that we find ourselves in is entirely down to ineffective planning."

Council Leader Peter Fox however, denied this early knowledge, and said he first heard about the pay rise when he received a letter just before the schools were informed.

Some suggestions were put forward for alternative ways of funding the increase, with Councillor Dimitri Batrouni proposing that the extra £160,000 it is costing all of the schools be taken from the equal pay reserves.

Councillor Blakebrough also made the proposal that the money could be found in the council revenue reserves.

However Chief Officer for Education Sarah McGuinness said that many of the schools themselves has surplus reserves which can be tapped into.

"This surplus is there for unforeseen circumstances and when schools find themselves in difficult positions. This is one of those difficult positions," she said.

The motion was defeated by 19 votes for to 22 against, and Councillor Blakebrough expressed her sadness and annoyance at this result.

"I must admit to genuine sadness that the leading Con-Lib Dem partnership was not prepared to admit fault and protect this year's school budgets from the additional financial burden," she said.

"Taking funding from existing planned programmes will hit the raising standards agenda and could risk adverse impact on the August results. I hope I do not have to turn around and say I told you so."