East Yorkshire schools face insolvency unless funding increases

Schools in the East Riding are seeing an increase in inflation

East Yorkshire schools could become insolvent if the county does not get more funding, councillors have heard.

A meeting of East Riding Council was told that headteachers were struggling to cover spiralling energy costs and pay rises.

Education portfolio holder Victoria Aitken said she was "asking the Government to act more quickly".

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced an extra £2.3bn for schools from 2023 to 2025 in his autumn statement.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillors backed a call for fairer funding for schools as the area remains the fourth-lowest funded in England.

Ms Aitken said it would take at least 15 years for the gap to close at the current pace as schools now struggle with rocketing inflation.

"We have 150 schools in the East Riding and 46,000 children in them," she said.

"Our geography is rural which causes considerable challenges, many of our rural primary schools are very small.

"Many of our schools and academy trusts could face insolvency if the current funding situation continues. The national funding formula is attempting to level up but progress is extremely slow."

John Copsey, chair of the Children and Young Pupil Sub-Committee, said its members had heard first-hand that schools were facing a dire financial situation.

"Headteachers are looking down the back of settees for cash, the situation is outrageous," he said.

"Our schools need extra funding, it's a no-brainer."