Sam Townend for Bristol North West

Yesterday Michael Gove came to a poorly attended meeting in the North of Bristol to promise that a Conservative Government will fund a new school on the Stoke Lodge site in North Bristol.
  

"The Conservatives have pledged two new schools for the North of Bristol, but have not set out what the cost will be to our five existing schools.  I fear funding cuts and even school closures will come with their proposals."  says Sam Townend, Labour's prospective MP for Bristol North West

"There will be a funding cost which they have not set out.  Even without new schools the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has said that Conservative plans means that one in five secondary schools will have their funding cut by over 10%.  That must mean one of the schools in North Bristol.  With two new schools (including St Ursulas) that would have a devestating cost to the other existing schools. 

There will also be a cost in take up by pupils.  Four out of five schools in the North are under subscribed.  Two additional schools will make it even harder to fill the existing schools.  With the Conservative plans we could well have new schools opening while schools like Brightstowe and Henbury would be forced to close.  I think that is a crazy way to plan our education provision in the City."

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