Dudley Association of Governing Bodies

The case for the Liberal Democrats

by Chris Bramall, M.A., Liberal Democrat prospective Parliamentary candidate, Stourbridge

I will attempt to set out the Liberal Democrats' policies for education, and for local government, in the context of the party's general policy framework. I will shamelessly plagiarise the party's policy documents, because I want readers to be confident that I am setting out the party's public commitments rather than putting my own personal slant on the issues. Particularly so, as I am not only writing on my own behalf, but also on behalf of my son Jon Bramall, selected yesterday as candidate for Dudley South, plus a probable candidate whose identity has not yet been announced, and a fourth candidate who is as yet not even a twinkle in the eye of his or her local party.

At a time of economic crisis it is important to be responsible about making financial commitments, and it becomes essential to designate priorities. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has set out the priorities that will be at the heart of the party's election manifesto. The value that connects a range of the party's objectives is fairness. There are four priorities for making Britain a fairer place: fair taxes; a fair start for every child; fair, clean and local politics; and a fair, green economy with jobs that last.

Fair taxes

The first of these priorities is to introduce fair taxes, with radical proposals for the biggest tax reform in generations. The Liberal Democrats will close loopholes for the richest and introduce a tax on houses worth over £2 million, to fund tax cuts of £700 for everyone else. No-one will pay income tax on the first £10,000 they earn, meaning millions of low earners and pensioners will stop paying income tax altogether, while millions more will get a reduced tax bill.

A fair start for every child

The second of the priorities is to give every child the fair start they deserve through a transformation of our education system that will build the foundations of a fair society.

In particular, this means cutting class sizes so children get the individual attention they need to thrive. The Liberal Democrats will be putting an extra £2.5 billion into schools to pay for more teachers, better discipline and catch-up classes. This will be by way of a "pupil premium" of £2,500 extra for every pupil entitled to free school dinners - the million most deprived children. Last year in Dudley Borough, only 41% of these children got 5 GCSE passes at grades A*-C, compared with 70% of the children who were not entitled to free school meals. The pupil premium will be funded by taking above-average earners out of the tax credit system, and cutting wasteful programmes at the Department for Children, Schools and Families and quangos. The pupil premium will invest an extra £20,280,000 per year in Dudley Borough schools.

Too many children are leaving school without the knowledge and skills to be successful. The National Curriculum is too rigid and fails to engage and motivate children. There are concerns that it fails to stretch the most talented or cater for those children who favour a more practical style of learning, and makes it difficult to support those who need more help. The Liberal Democrats will replace the National Curriculum with a more flexible Minimum Curriculum Entitlement offering greater choice and room for innovation. If a college offers a more suitable course for a 14-19 year old, he or she should have the right to study there. We will create a General Diploma which will use GCSEs, A levels and high quality vocational qualifications as building blocks, enabling pupils to mix quality vocational and academic learning.

Teachers are struggling to do the best for children because the Government tries to micro-manage schools and over-burdens teachers with paperwork. The Liberal Democrats will set teachers free to spend more time in the classroom to raise standards and get a grip on poor behaviour. Schools should be free to work creatively, instead of being distracted by government initiatives and gimmicks. Indeed we will bring forward an Education Freedom Act banning ministers from meddling in the day-to-day life of schools, and create a fully independent Education Standards Authority with real powers to stand up to ministers.

At present a small number of schools have real freedom to work creatively to drive up standards, because they are "Academies". The Liberal Democrats believe that the freedom to innovate enjoyed by Academies should be available to every school. In addition, our model of "Sponsor Managed Schools", which would be commissioned by local authorities, allows educational charities and private providers to be involved in delivering state education, but without the flaws of the Academies system such as the unfair advantage given to Academies by way of better funding.

The Liberal Democrats have always opposed university tuition fees. It is wrong that young people should be discouraged from pursuing a university education because their parents lack wealth, or should drop out because of money worries. In the light of the financial stringency, the party has adopted a fully costed plan to scrap tuition fees over the course of six years, starting with fees for all full-time students in their final year. After six years the policy will cover all fees for first degrees, including part-time degrees.

Fair, clean and local politics

The third of the Liberal Democrats' priorities is a commitment to root-and-branch change of the political system. This means getting big money and corrupt donors out of politics altogether. We will cap individual and company donations to political parties and reform trade union funding. We will cap party spending at local and national level at all stages of the electoral cycle. We will tighten up the rules on MPs' expenses. We will cut the number of ministers and MPs and slim down Whitehall. We will change the voting system to abolish safe seats and make sure that voters' preferences really count, putting an end to governments elected by a small minority of voters but exercising almost unlimited power. The House of Lords will be replaced by an elected second chamber. We will radically devolve powers to local councils and communities, and local councils will regain control of business rates. We will institute directly elected police authorities and health boards.

A fair, green economy with jobs that last

Fifth of the priorities in number order, but not in importance, is a sustainable economy. Climate change is getting worse and could destroy our way of life. Our children and grandchildren will suffer if we don't act now.

Liberal Democrats believe that there is an opportunity to get out of the recession by going green, strengthening the economy, creating new jobs and improving the quality of people's lives. There needs to be a massive programme of investment in renewable energy sources such as wind, wave and solar power. This will deliver hundreds of thousands of new and better jobs, now and in the years to come. We believe that people who find themselves out of work should be helped to find suitable training courses without worrying about the costs. We will re-focus the money committed to the employer-led "Train to Gain" programme on individual adult learners so that they can access the training they need.

Nick Clegg is passionate in his determination that the recession does not result in a generation of young people becoming long-term unemployed. The number of young people unemployed for more than six months has doubled in the past two years. We have to act now to make sure they don't get left behind in any economic recovery. Currently, young people on Jobseekers' Allowance have to wait 12 months before they are guaranteed a job or training post. We will reduce that to 90 days. We will invest nearly £900 million to increase the number of further education places, and we will give young people undertaking an internship a training allowance of £55 a week.

The Liberal Democrats will shift the economy away from over-reliance on the City of London and financial services. To put an end to the casino banking that caused the financial crisis, we will break up the banks and encourage regional and local ways to bring competition back to the financial sector and make sure businesses can find the money they need to grow. Local Enterprise Funds will help people invest in growing businesses in their area, and Regional Stock Exchanges will give companies a way to move into public equity without the risks and costs of a London listing. We will create a National Infrastructure Bank to bring in private money to build the transport links, energy grid and public buildings needed for a sustainable, low carbon economy in every part of Britain.______________________________________________________________________________________________

Published and promoted by Simon Hanson on behalf of Chris Bramall (Liberal Democrats),

both at 53 Chawn Hill, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 7JA