Balls advocates education spending cuts

Schools secretary Ed Balls suggests education spending could be cut by up to £2bn

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Sunday, 20, Sep 2009 09:04

By inthenews.co.uk staff.

The schools secretary for England, Ed Balls, has suggested education spending could be cut by up to £2 billion through a series of cost-cutting measures.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Balls suggested restraining pay in the sector and cutting back on numbers of senior staff could yield significant savings.

Mr Balls said the current economic crisis calls for "disciplined" action on salaries, although he ruled out increasing class sizes or cutting back on front-line staff.

"It is going to be tougher on spending over the next few years," he told the newspaper.

"If we are going to keep teachers and teaching assistants on the front line that means we are going to have to be disciplined on public sector pay, including in education."

The news comes after reports from the Conservatives that prime minister Gordon Brown is planning a post-election income tax rise if he is re-elected in order to maintain levels of public spending.

However, Mr Balls refuted this suggestion and said cutting back on "natural wastage" would provide enough wiggle room in the education budget.