Trevelyan reacts to Conservative Party manifesto

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Berwick-upon-Tweed has welcomed measures announced in the Conservative manifesto, to increase schools funding, and secure the future of social care.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan and the Prime Minister.Anne-Marie Trevelyan and the Prime Minister.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan and the Prime Minister.

The candidate has spent two years campaigning for a fairer funding deal for Northumberland schools, many of whom have lost out due to the present model, which means pupils in urban schools attract greater levels of funding.

Rural schools locally have missed out, and the Government announced a new model, which would see almost all schools in the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency receive an increase to their budgets, in some cases of up to 10%.

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Now the Prime Minister has confirmed that, although small rural schools will see the biggest benefit, no school will lose any funding as a result of the re-balanced formula.

Mrs Trevelyan said: “I am very pleased that if my party is returned to government, primary schools in Northumberland will not, as previously feared, lose any funding as a result of changes to the national schools funding formula. This commitment, means a great deal to parents locally, and to headteachers who have struggled to maintain their schools on their smaller budgets. Now schools will have their funding increased by £4 billion in real terms over the next five years.”

Mrs Trevelyan also welcomed the new plans announced for nurseries - the Conservatives announced that all new primary schools will include nursery provision, and capital funds will be made available to existing schools to be able to offer nursery care.

She said: “Vital to maintaining our village communities is the ability to attract young families to live and raise their children here. Ensuring working parents have viable childcare options is key to this, and this measure is a really welcome step, especially as nursery care can be hard to come by in some areas of Northumberland.”

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She also welcomed the news that social care will be made sustainable for the first time, with the commitment to make the system fairer, better funded and ensure people can receive care at home s well as in a residential facility.

She commented: “I am pleased my party has pledged to introduce a new cap on care costs, to ensure that, no matter how large the cost of care turns out to be, people will always retain at least £100,000 of their savings and assets, including value in the family home - the present amount is £23,000.”