Date: 22/10/2019   |   Category - Finance and Resources, Lifelong Learning, News

WLGA has today welcomed Welsh Government’s commitment of an additional £12.8m to help meet the cost of increases to teachers’ pay.

This is the first year that Welsh Government has been able to set teachers’ pay and conditions following the devolution of those powers to Wales. The Education Minister has confirmed a 5% rise in the starting salary for newly qualified school teachers in Wales, while the minimum and maximum of all other teacher pay ranges and allowances will rise by 2.75%.

Baroness Wilcox of Newport, WLGA Education Spokesperson said:

“I welcome the additional funding announced by Welsh Government today for teachers’ pay. If we are to create a world class education system, it is vital that we’re able to attract talented teachers to work in our schools by rewarding them appropriately.

“Education funding still presents a challenging picture for local authorities, and they face overspends across all services of £54m in the current financial year alone. It is important that the full award next year is fully met by Welsh Government in addition to pressures of £105m for education services and schools, and the workforce costs of teachers and teaching assistants.

“Council-run local services face pressures of £254m, with schools and education accounting for over 40%, which will inevitably have a knock-on effect on councils’ ability to deliver services. With an estimated £593m expected to flow to Wales following the UK Spending Review, there is now an opportunity for Welsh Government to deliver on promises made to reinvest in public services, and for local and Welsh Government to work together to deliver for our communities.”

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