BLAENAU GWENT SCHOOL REPAIRS CRISIS
RHODRI’S “DO NOT BLAME US – BLAME PREVIOUS GOVERNMENTS”EXPOSES LABOUR TO BLAME
A media release on Wednesday 5th December 2007
William Graham (Conservative Assembly Member for South Wales East) responding to Blaenau Gwent Council's Schools Asset Management Plan 2007-12, outlining that £40million is needed to bring their school buildings up to standard .
“Local Authorities throughout Wales are having to come to terms with the £millions they will be required to find to pay to renovate and repair school buildings”.
“Throughout the 8 years in which she was Education Minister, Jane Davidson, claimed the Assembly Government was on target for bringing all school buildings up to standard and making them fit for purpose by 2010”.
“Whenever achieving this target was queried, in any re-assurance she tried to focus blame on under-funding from previous Governments”.
“Rhodri Morgan gave the best indicator to the condition of many of our school buildings in an answer to my Plenary question in May 2006 ‘many of our schools were trash-built in the 1960s’ – this was a decade dominated by Labour power in Westminster and in local authorities in Wales”.
“Local Authorities continue to raise concerns about the inadequate funding settlement they will receive from the Assembly for the next year. They claim that they will either have to cut services or increase Council Tax”.
“Despite all the re-assurances Labour look as though they will fall short of their target for bringing all school buildings up to standard and making them fit for purpose by 2010”.
William Graham JP, AM
CHIEF WHIP, PARTY CHAIRMAN AND EUROPEAN SPOKESMAN
Email – William.Graham@Wales.gov.uk