NEU comment on Chancellor's Financial Statement

Commenting on Jeremy Hunt's financial statement, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:   

"Having fully discredited itself in the eyes of the world, this shambolic administration continues.   

"Families now face uncertainty about their fuels bills after April. The Mini Budget has increased the cost of mortgages and it will be even harder for families to make ends meet. The rates of child poverty will continue to rise. And for schools, uncertainty grows. There are no guarantees beyond the initial six-month period for the energy support plan. We need urgent clarity in order to plan and prepare.  

"The suggestion that further cuts need to be made across departments will alarm school and college leaders. There is already a serious funding crisis due to the sharp rise in energy costs and unfunded pay awards, so the education secretary must do everything in his power to protect funding.   

"Our members have told us that there is a willingness to take strike action on pay. Teachers have lost 20% of their pay in real terms since 2010, and for support staff a staggering 27%. This is not a sustainable situation. Teachers and support staff have been made to endure real-terms pay cuts through good economic times and bad. We cannot see this historic cycle continue. If this Government values education, then it must also value educators."