The Tory Council in Bromley is proposing to pay fees for private education

claytonender · 18-08-2009, 20:37

In todays Times there is am article about the proposal by the Tory Council to pay towards private school fees for the children of parents, who can no longer afford the fees because they have lost their jobs.

Considering that the average charge for private school fees is £12000 per year (and they propose to fund up to £4700 per year)and the money will come form the budgets of the state schools in Bromley, this is a very frightening development.

Is this another portent of what would happen nationally under a Tory government.

Parents who lose jobs to have school fees subsidised by Bromley Council - Times Online

grego · 18-08-2009, 20:45

I dont agree with that at all, if the parents can no longer afford the cost then the children should go to state school.
I'm not sure this proposal would even be passed, can you imagine the uproar!

claytonender · 18-08-2009, 20:49

But it could well be passed, simply because the council tax payers of Bromley might not be aware of the proposal.

grego · 18-08-2009, 20:55

Something as big as that I dont think it would go unnoticed, if we are discussing it on Accy web then I'm sure they'll be talking about it down there.

Margaret Pilkington · 18-08-2009, 21:09

The leader of Bromley council has now said that this scheme will not now go ahead.

West Ender · 18-08-2009, 21:29

My grandson went to Manchester Grammar which is a public school. His mother, my daughter, was a single parent and, though she worked full time, she wasn't earning the kind of money that pays school fees. The school offered a bursary which meant she only paid about a quarter of the fees. It was still a struggle but she did it, mainly because he was a very bright lad and the local high school was crap.

No council should top up school fees. If the parent loses their job they are likely to have assets, as well as a good redundancy payment, and they should use them to pay - or remove the child to a state school. It's what my daughter would have had to do.

cashman · 18-08-2009, 21:32

thats all well n good, but its the "THOUGHT" that counts, its the way the minds of these people works.

reminds me of the old song= "The Working Class can Kiss My Ass, Ive got the gaffers job at last."

andrewb · 18-08-2009, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by claytonender

In todays Times there is am article about the proposal by the Tory Council to pay towards private school fees for the children of parents, who can no longer afford the fees because they have lost their jobs.

Considering that the average charge for private school fees is £12000 per year (and they propose to fund up to £4700 per year)and the money will come form the budgets of the state schools in Bromley, this is a very frightening development.

Is this another portent of what would happen nationally under a Tory government.

Parents who lose jobs to have school fees subsidised by Bromley Council - Times Online

A councillor asked a question at full council about what would happen to private school children if their parents were no longer able to pay their fees. As you know it's good practice for council officers to consider this. There are not and have never been plans from the controlling group to introduce a scheme like the one described.

I'm not sure why you need to end the post with scaremongering.

cashman · 18-08-2009, 22:01

not scaremongering andrew its a fact of life.

andrewb · 18-08-2009, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

not scaremongering andrew its a fact of life.

Not only is the council not proposing the idea, but the thought that a national Conservative government have proposed or would implement the idea is just absurd. It's just party political scaremongering.

Royboy39 · 18-08-2009, 22:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by claytonender

In todays Times there is am article about the proposal by the Tory Council to pay towards private school fees for the children of parents, who can no longer afford the fees because they have lost their jobs.

Considering that the average charge for private school fees is £12000 per year (and they propose to fund up to £4700 per year)and the money will come form the budgets of the state schools in Bromley, this is a very frightening development.

Is this another portent of what would happen nationally under a Tory government.

Parents who lose jobs to have school fees subsidised by Bromley Council - Times Online

This from a Labour Council Member representing Church.
Get real woman, the people of Church don't really want to know what's happening in Bromley.
There have been many scathing comments on what is going on in the community of Church, a community which I spent my younger years and you have not bothered to comment.
Concentrate on the problems of your parish and maybe you will gain more respect, leave the tory bashing to the experts.

Mancie · 18-08-2009, 22:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrewb

A councillor asked a question at full council about what would happen to private school children if their parents were no longer able to pay their fees. As you know it's good practice for council officers to consider this.

OK and what was the answer?..who thought up the idea of the Council paying private education fees?
Like Cashman says it's the thought that counts here..and it is always the Tories that think this sort of stuff up...if they say it enough times it may become reality.

garinda · 18-08-2009, 23:38

I agree that the proposal is ludicrous, but just to throw a spanner in the works...

'It turns out that maintained schools are just as expensive as private ones. School fees in the private sector have shot up; but so has the state education budget, reaching Â£77.7 billion last year. Divide that by the number of pupils in the system and it works out as more than Â£9,000 per head. The average cost of an independent day school? Â£9,069.'

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/da...ependent_ones/

Sixty nine quid isn't a lot of difference over a year, and if because of the recession there's a massive increase for places in state schools, the cost of those pupil's education will have to be funded by the tax payer.

What's more of a concern to me is that private schools are classed as charities, and benefit as such when it comes to being taxed. Although the government is currently taking steps to make sure private schools do benefit the wider community by giving a relatively high number of scholarships. Those schools who don't, will quite rightly lose their charitable status, and tax benefits.

Mancie · 19-08-2009, 00:28

It may seem a ludicrous proposal Garinda but this is the same Tory Council that spent thousands of rate payers money when they took the then GLC to court over flat rate bus and rail fares in London.... under the GLC it was a static payment of 50p to travel on the buses and tube...Bromley Council actually won that case and of course the fares on public transport went through the roof...now my question to the Tories on here is why?.. why do they always look for angles were the everyday bloke ends up out of pocket?

cashman · 19-08-2009, 00:31

i could answer that mancie, but the question aint fer me.