Stuart Anderson MP has welcomed the news that schools, colleges and other providers of education across Wolverhampton will benefit from an extra £2 million funding, as the Government has announced additional investment for improvements to buildings and facilities. This will help them to prioritise works to improve energy efficiency and save money on their energy bills. The funding is part of a £500 million investment to help schools and colleges with their energy costs, exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Schools and colleges across Wolverhampton will benefit from £2,353,704 from the additional school funding that the Government has made available. Stuart said that the extra funding will support small scale energy improvements, making them more energy efficient and resilient. The funding can be used on projects such as installing better heating controls, insulation to reduce heat loss from pipes, or switching to energy efficient lighting. On average, a primary school will receive approximately £16,000, a secondary school will receive around £42,000, and further education colleges will benefit from £29,000. Alongside this, the City of Wolverhampton College will receive £280,135.00. In the meantime, providers of education will continue to benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which commenced on the 1st of October 2022. This caps how much providers need to spend on their energy bills and equips them with greater certainty over their budgets during the winter.
The extra funding is on top of £1.8 billion of capital investment that has already been committed this year for improving the condition of buildings, including Wolverhampton. On the 17th of November, the Government announced that it will also provide £4 billion in additional funding for schools over the next two years to help them with rising costs because of global inflation. It will mean that a typical primary school will receive around £28,000 extra and a typical secondary school will receive £170,000 more, while local councils will receive an extra £400 million for high needs budgets to help children with complex needs. In total, the schools budget will be £58.8 billion in 2024-25. The Institute for Fiscal Studies highlighted that this will mean 2024-5 will be the highest spending year in history for schools.
Stuart Anderson MP said: “I welcome the news that providers of education across Wolverhampton will benefit from £2 million to implement energy efficiency upgrades and save on their energy bills. Like families and businesses across the country, schools are facing challenges with rising prices due to inflation and energy costs, which have been exacerbated by Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. While these are global challenges, the Government has constructed one of the largest support plans in Europe. We are undiminished in our ambition to ensure that everyone can access a high-quality education which unlocks their potential and enables them to excel in life. That is why we will be delivering the highest real terms spending on schools in history.”
Commenting, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine is driving up energy prices worldwide, so it is important to look at the things we can do to make classrooms more energy efficient and resilient to price fluctuations. We’re putting this cash in the hands of school and college leaders quickly, so they can decide what work is needed and so that our brilliant teachers can focus on teaching in a warm and safe environment. Education is rightly a top priority for this government and we will continue to strive to provide every child with a world-class education.”
UPDATED: 08/12/2022.