Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledges €1.4bn to budget for crumbling schools and daycares | Political news

Rachel Reeves has pledged $1.4 billion to rebuild crumbling schools and triple funding for free breakfast clubs, as she prepares for her first Budget.

The chancellor said children 'should not suffer' as UK public funds run out, despite Work The Government must fill what it calls a £22 billion “black hole”.

However, economists said the funding would generally ensure continuity of existing plans, rather than funding many new initiatives, and teachers said much more money was needed.

The Treasury said the £1.4 billion would “ensure delivery” of the schools rebuilding programme, announced in 2020 under Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

It aims to rebuild or renovate around 500 schools in a decade, but progress has been slow.

The £1.4 billion represents an increase of £550 million on last year to support the scheme.

Last year more than 100 schools, nurseries and colleges in England were forced to close its doors days before the fall term due to safety concerns related to autoclaved reinforced concrete (Follow).

Budget funding for nurseries, breakfast clubs, daycare

The Treasury also confirmed that £1.8 billion would be allocated to expanding government-funded childcare, as well as a further £15 million for school nurseries.

The Treasury said the first stage of the plan would fund 300 new or expanded nurseries across England.

Ms. Reeves also said it would “triple” its investment in free breakfast clubs to £30 million in 2025-26, after announcing at the Labor Party conference in September a £7m trial in up to 750 schools starting in April.

Labor pledged in a manifesto to spend £315 million on breakfast clubs by 2028-29.

Christine Farquharson, a researcher at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said the new figure of £30m appears to be a “boost from the £7m previously announced”.

“But that’s still only a tenth of what Labor’s manifesto plans to spend by 2028-29, so the bulk of the rollout is still to come,” she added.

The Chancellor said: “This Government’s first Budget will set out how we will repair the foundations of the country. It will involve difficult decisions, but also the start of a new chapter for Britain.

“Protecting education funding was one of the things I wanted to do first, because our children are the future of this country. We may have inherited a disaster, but they should not suffer from it .”

Learn more:
Analysis: growing storm following rumors of budgetary tax increases
Analysis: Labor's confusion with messaging
Are Starmer and Reeves on the same page when it comes to budgets?

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up to date with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

New pilot project seeks to support 'more stable, loving homes'

An additional £44 million will help parents and foster carers, including trialling a new parenting allowance to test whether it can increase the number of children looked after by family and friends.

The government hopes to “keep more children in stable, loving homes.”

Ms Farquharson said that “in a tight budget environment” the commitments “broadly reflect decisions to continue programs”.

She said: “Injecting £1.4 billion into the schools rebuild program next year will be enough to keep what was always intended as a 10-year program into its sixth year.

“£1.8 billion to roll out new childcare rights also confirms plans set out under the previous government.”

School leaders explain what else is needed

School leaders warned that the funding announcement left “a significant gap in terms of what is needed to return the school estate to a satisfactory state”.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers union, said: “It is reassuring to hear that school funding will be protected next year and that education will continue to be a priority as schools face continued financial pressures.

“It is now important that the Government is very clear about what it means by ‘protected’.

“We urge the government to take advantage of the reduction in pupil numbers some schools are facing to increase per pupil funding both in the short and long term.”

He said the £1.4 billion was “helpful” but urged the Treasury to take advantage of next spring’s spending review to commit to a “major program of rebuilding schools”.

Listen to Election Dysfunction on your podcast app

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “In government, Conservatives have worked tirelessly to give every child the best start in life.

“We launched the biggest ever expansion of childcare, recruited 27,000 teachers and raised standards in schools.

“On the other hand, Labor is failing to deliver on its promises to the public.

“Just like their broken promises to raise taxes and change tax rules, they have broken their promises to students – introducing a new education tax and preparing to cancel dozens of new school projects .”

What else can we expect from the budget?

Ms Reeves will also use her first budget on Wednesday to announce change to UK debt rule.

It is designed to allow the government to spend billions more on long-term infrastructure projects.

She is also expected to increase employers' national insurance by up to two percentage points and lowering the threshold at which employers contribute – measures which would raise around £20 billion.

Capital gains tax, inheritance tax and fuel taxes are other revenue-raising options that Ms Reeves has on the table, as she seeks to put the economy on a firmer footing. solid.