1,173 local authority councillors from across England have signed
the NEU Councillors letter to .
Local Authorities are at the forefront of supporting families and
schools during these unprecedented times. They are calling for
greater support for local authorities to help vulnerable
families, free school meals to be provided throughout the school
holidays and for local authorities to be given a role in
co-ordinating with schools, trade unions and the DfE on a safe
end to school closure.
The NEU Councillors Network also fully supports the National
Education Union call to only see a return to schools when the
evidence says it is safe to do so.
The full text of the letter, which closed yesterday, is available
here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/local-councillors-letter-to-gavin-williamson-mp
Cllr Maggie Browning, Southwark Council (Dulwich Hill) and NEU
Councillors Network London Convenor, said:
"Local authorities have been at the forefront of supporting
children and their families throughout this crisis and the school
closure period. It is essential that the Government steps up and
ensures there is the necessary funding to ensure disadvantaged
young people do not lose out, including by providing vouchers for
Free School Meals throughout the summer holidays. The school
closure should only end when it is safe to do so and the
Government should work with schools and local authorities to
coordinate this."
Commenting on the letter, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General
Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The Government is taking an approach which is nothing short of
reckless in considering the wider opening of schools from 1 June.
This puts everyone connected to the school community in a very
difficult position, in preparing for the re-opening of schools
when they simply do not think it is safe. The profession and
parents are as one on this issue, and today's letter to from so many councillors shows that the strength
of feeling is widespread.
"We share the concerns councillors have raised in this letter
regarding the summer period and how this can affect the most
vulnerable in society, children and adults alike. We agree that
local authorities have to play a lead role in coordinating any
phased return for schools. The Government would do well to listen
to their deep concerns."
ENDS
Editor’s Note
Dear MP,
As local councillors, we are writing to raise concerns in
relation to current school closures.
The first issue is our concern about the impact school closures
are having on disadvantaged students and their families
Students eligible for free school meals (FSM) have had mixed
experiences when applying for the Government’s voucher scheme,
with some unable to access vouchers to which they are entitled.
We would like your assurances that all families with children
eligible for FSM will receive vouchers for the full period of
school closure, including school holidays. This may need to be in
retrospect for families who have not yet been able to access
their vouchers.
We would ask that the Department for Education (DfE) continues to
work with local authorities who are at the forefront of
supporting families facing unprecedented food insecurity in the
current climate.
As you will know, holiday hunger is an issue for many families
and we would like your assurances that families eligible for FSM
will be given food vouchers to sustain them during the summer
holidays. We believe that this should become a permanent fixture
within our school system, so no child need go hungry during the
school holidays again.
We also have concerns about support for vulnerable children and
the increased calls to domestic violence helplines nationally. We
would ask that the Government continue to work with local
authorities and schools to ensure vulnerable children do not
‘slip through the net’ and the necessary financial support is
available to councils to support families fleeing domestic
violence.
Finally, we are concerned by the current speculation on the end
to school closures. We find current speculation unhelpful but
would like to support the calls from the teaching profession that
schools only be reopened when it is safe to do so, for both
teachers and students.
We also ask that local authorities be given a role in
coordinating with schools, trade unions and the DfE on a safe end
to school closures.
We hope that the Government will continue to collaborate closely
with local councils to support families and schools as we weather
the current crisis and its aftermath. This will require an end to
austerity and a new, long-term, funding settlement for local
authorities and schools, to ensure they are best equipped going
forward.
Yours sincerely,
The Undersigned
