• LABOUR says education secretary Justine Greening has had a “nerve” to visit Camden with the government reviewing education funding.

This is, however, what politics is all about: MPs and would-be MPs showing ministers their constituencies and engaging with them to make the case for their constituents.

Labour may well be offended that Greening said “schools have never been better funded” but she was making a factual statement. The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that total secondary school funding has risen by 10 per cent more than inflation since 2010, while primary school funding has risen by 9 per cent. Meanwhile, government funding for childcare has almost doubled since 2010.

And the IFS said the Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat plans “imply similar overall settlements for schools”, so schools would be near-identically funded under any of the parties.

We need go get the facts straight on this, because there are many scare stories from Labour about the new funding formula. London schools currently receive 50 per cent more funding per pupil than those in some areas of the country. A new formula would thus have to be introduced by any party in government.

However the Conservatives’ plan would not reduce Camden schools’ funding by a third, as Labour have suggested it would, but just 3 per cent – one-third of the funding boost they’ve received since 2010 under the Conservatives.

Whoever has asked children to bring in Smarties tubes filled with 20p pieces is shameful. Schools cost millions of pounds to run and a few coins is not going to make the slightest difference. It is a political publicity stunt by Labour’s teaching union paymasters.

CLLR JONNY BUCKNELL
Conservative, Belsize ward