In August, together with Mid Beds MP, Blake Stephenson, Richard wrote to the Secretary of State for Education raising concerns over the impact on Bedford Borough secondary schools of the removal of VAT exemptions for independent schools. You can read Richard and Blake's joint letter and the minister's response here. Following a meeting with constituents in a surgery, Richard subsequently wrote to the Schools Minister requesting a meeting to discuss the disproportionate impact of this in Bedford Borough due to its high percentage of pupils attending independent schools.
Richard highlighted the existing pressure on places in Bedford Borough secondary schools and the risk of increased class sizes in local schools adversely affecting the quality of education for both state and private school students.
The Minister for Early Education has replied with a response that falls far short of addressing the key issues and offers obfuscation and specious arguments rather than offering any practical solutions. You can read the minister's response here.
Richard Fuller MP said:
"A thoroughly dubious and unsatisfactory reply from the Early Education Minister to the enquiry I made on behalf of local parents back in August. The argument that you need to tax education to provide money for education is so bogus it wouldn’t be thought worthy of a Sixth Form Debating Society.
His attempt to put the blame on local councils if places aren’t available in local schools completely misses the fact that those funds are based on expected population growth NOT the impact of this policy decision.
One of the books I read for my O Level English Lit was 1984. This minister must have studied it too - he is a master of Doublespeak."
