Latest news with #fundingcrisis
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Peak District tourists could face entry fee
Visitors to the Peak District could be charged an entrance fee to help tackle the national park's funding crisis. Phil Mulligan, the chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, said it 'wouldn't need any government funding' if it could charge 10p per visitor. The park, which has around 13 million visitors per year, has cut 10 per cent of its staff in recent months because of what Mr Mulligan called 'declining funding'. He added that there had been a 50 per cent real terms funding cut over the last decade, while the park had grappled with problems such as wildfires and dangerous parking. 'Ever-declining' government funds Mr Mulligan told the BBC: 'We have the pressure of visitors, we have the pressure of delivering for the nation in terms of the ecological crisis, the climate crisis. 'I'm trying to do that with an ever-declining set of government funds, at a time when what's being asked of the national park is more and more. 'I think that [charging tourists fees] is a big discussion that government is going to need to have. But what would be the mechanism for that? I haven't got the powers.' The authority's financial troubles have been blamed on a fixed government grant that has not accounted for inflation or other costs such as the rise in the minimum wage. Mr Mulligan added: 'If [the Government] are going to keep cutting our funding, then there is going to need to be a different way of funding national parks.'
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Huddersfield hospice cuts staff and beds to save its future
A hospice in Huddersfield has announced it has made 19 staff redundant and reduced the number of inpatient beds in order to save its Kirkwood provides end-of-life care to about 2,000 patients each year but its chief executive Michael Crowther said it had faced a "perfect storm" of rising operational costs over the past few Crowther said wages for its 250-strong workforce made up most of its £11m annual budget and the recent rise in employers' National Insurance contributions (NICs) had "further deepened these financial pressures".He said: "This has been the single hardest decision we have ever had to make." Another nine staff members have agreed to cut their hours and several others have decided to retire to help reduce the annual costs by £1.7m, the hospice Crowther said: "As you can imagine, this has been one of the most difficult periods in The Kirkwood's history."Having to make any of our highly skilled colleagues redundant is not something we ever thought we would have to do."I would like to acknowledge all those who have left the charity during this really difficult time for their dedication and commitment." The hospice receives only 25% of its funding from the NHS with the rest coming from said the scale of the funding crisis meant they had had to make some "difficult decisions" about clinical services including cutting the number of beds in its inpatient unit from 16 to a result of the widespread changes, the hospice said there would be a reduction in the number of patients it could care for from around 2,100 last year to around 1,300 in the hospice said it would continue to provide specialist palliative support at home and in care homes across Kirklees but would be working in a reduced capacity and would therefore "need to prioritise those with the most urgent and unmet needs".Mr Crowther added: "The truth is, without increased support, it simply isn't possible to maintain the full range of care we have provided over the past few years."The government has previously said the rise in National Insurance contributions was necessary to fund public services. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Schools in Bolton in grip of funding crisis leaving them unable to afford the basics
Schools in Bolton cannot afford minor repairs to the building and are struggling to afford basic equipment. Now teachers across Bolton are calling on the Government for help amid a 'funding crisis' which is pushing staff members 'to the brink'. Headteachers say they are struggling to fund resources, including computer equipment, and are having to rely on the goodwill of parents to help equip classrooms and fund enrichment activities. Schools cannot afford minor repairs to the building. Despite government promises of funding for schools in England of £2.3 billion in 2025/26, with a total of £8,020 per pupil, schools across the borough are struggling to afford basic equipment, repair jobs" target="_blank">work and staff retention. Headteacher of Claypool Primary School, Amanda Hulme, who is the National Association of Headteachers representative for Bolton, said: 'We are in a funding crisis, we don't have enough money to sustain staff levels, it's a nation-wide problem. 'SEND funding is in an even bigger crisis, it's coming from a government level. We know the Local Authority is doing all that it can. NAHT representative, Amanda Hulme, has described the funding crisis across schools. (Image: Amanda Hulme) 'Recruitment and retention is also an issue with schools across the borough. Teachers are leaving the job left and right. There's also a struggle for retaining learning support staff because the pay is so poor. READ MORE: 'In the case of our school, the funding isn't there for minor repairs to the building, we have to be so much more careful with resources now. We've had to turn to doing fundraising events and asking for donations from our wonderful parents in order to try to fix the gap. 'We aren't able to do nicer things with children that we were able to do before, we don't have the equipment, such as new computers, outdoor play equipment, library books. 'The fundraising committees in schools are having to look at grants for areas where government funding does not stretch. 'Kids with SEN need additional support, without a healthcare plan, it can be difficult to get these specialist provisions in place. 'Something needs to change, I would advise governments to look at the funding formula, putting more funding into schools rather than vanity projects and focusing on initiatives that they can be directly involved with. 'Headteachers are all making things work, we have to do what's best for the children but it's not easy.' Concerns have been raised by teachers following funding cuts (Image: PA Media) Another Bolton headteacher, who asked to remain anonymous, echoed the sentiment: 'We're facing a funding crisis that's pushing us to the brink. With increased National Insurance costs, rising wages, and no corresponding rise in funding, we're barely breaking even. Expectations continue to rise, but the funding doesn't—while the needs of our children grow every year. 'There's simply no money left for vital areas like computing infrastructure, much needed repairs to schools, let alone the extras that enrich education, like school trips or new classroom resources. 'We've had to cut right back and now rely on donations from parents just to cover essentials. The next step is losing staff—and no school can function without its people. In the end, it's the children who suffer most.' Concerns about the lowered funding had also been raised to Bolton West MP Phil Brickell. Mr Brickell said: 'Since my election I have made it a priority to speak to headteachers and parents. I think it's fair to say that Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) funding is a top priority. "We need to break down barriers to achievement and make an education system where all can achieve and thrive. 'The SEND system we inherited from the Conservatives has lost the confidence of families and Labour is committed to restoring trust. 'Since coming to office last year, the Labour government has put SEND central to its policies with an injection of funding into services and an investment of £740 million more to create specialist places. 'Shortly after my election, I met with Bridget Phillipson the Secretary of State for Education and discussed my concerns regarding funding for SEND. 'Locally we have 8,961 children and young people diagnosed with SEND, which is a 20 per cent increase over the past seven years. The number of ECHPs has nearly doubled since 2018 but the local council's compliance in issuing EHCPs within 20 weeks has increased from 38% in 2023 to 71 per cent in 2024. 'This is a massive improvement in the first year of a Labour Government but it also means a third of parents and children are still not getting adequate support. 'With that in mind, I welcome the Government's new investment in family hubs and early years, with the Chancellor's autumn Budget in October setting aside £1 billion in additional funding for SEND support.' The Bolton News has approached the Department for Education for comment.
National Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Ontario's Students Deserve Better: the Ontario School Board Council of Unions Calls on the Ford Government to Immediately Address the Understaffing and Funding Crisis in Public Education Ahead of the Release of the Provincial Budget
Article content TORONTO — There is a crisis in public education in Ontario. Article content Article content Classrooms are frequently evacuated because of violent episodes, completely disrupting the learning environment for students. Educational Assistants are overburdened with work and students are not provided the supports they need. Libraries are closing for days at a time because school boards do not have the funds to keep libraries open. Our schools are not being cleaned properly because there are nowhere near enough custodians to keep up with the mounting workload. Too many Kindergarten students are denied the support of a Designated Early Childhood Educator in their classroom. Article content And it's Ontario's students who are suffering the most. They are being failed by a system that does not support them because of a chronic understaffing crisis created by consistent underfunding by the provincial government. Article content Today, the Ontario School Board of Unions (OSBCU) is calling on the Ford government to immediately address the ongoing funding crisis in public education and: Article content Commit to increase real per-pupil funding (including the restoration of all funding cuts due to inflation and enrolment growth) to improve student and staff supports; Commit to increase staffing in all education worker classifications to meet all student needs (including Educational Assistant support for all students who need it, Designated Early Childhood Educators in every classroom with kindergarten students, adequately staffed school offices and libraries, and clean and well maintained buildings); A meaningful plan to address the violence epidemic in schools; A plan to make schools accessible and inclusive for all students. Article content The school board sector has been defunded by over $2.3 billion in the 2024-25 school year alone, due to spending not keeping pace with inflation and enrolment growth. This number grows to $10.66 billion since the Ford government formed government, and $14.44 billion since 2012-2013. It is clear that Ontario has the resources to fund schools sufficiently to meet student needs and restore the world class education system Ontario students and parents deserve. Article content Public education in Ontario is at a breaking point. We can no longer allow our students and staff to deal with these conditions. We need an immediate surge in funding, we need properly staffed schools, and we need it now. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
NI university leaders unite to call for political agreement on tuition fee rise
University chiefs in Northern Ireland have jointly called on the region's political leaders to back a significant uplift in tuition fees, warning that failure to tackle a funding crisis in the sector will force them to cut places for local students. In an unprecedented step, the heads of Queen's University, Ulster University and The Open University, Ireland have co-signed a letter to the five largest parties at Stormont to warn the current financial arrangements are 'not sustainable'. In the letter to the party leaders, seen by the PA news agency, the vice chancellors of Queen's and Ulster University, Professor Sir Ian Greer and Professor Paul Bartholomew, and the director of The Open University Ireland, John D'Arcy, express fears the brain drain of young talent leaving Northern Ireland to study elsewhere will accelerate without 'urgent intervention'. The university heads outline in stark terms the consequences of continued inaction on the funding issue. They wrote: 'As leaders within the higher education sector in the region, we are committed to expanding access to the opportunities our institutions provide; but an underfunded higher education sector will inevitably lead to us having to take the difficult decision to reduce the proportion of local students in our institutions.' The three leaders acknowledge any increase in tuition fees agreed by Stormont should not be seen in 'isolation' and they also express support for a corresponding uplift in the maintenance grant available to students from low-income households. The letter has been endorsed by the principals of Northern Ireland's two dedicated teacher training colleges – Stranmillis and St Mary's – with Professor Peter Finn from St Mary's and Professor Jonathan Hegarty from Stranmillis sending a similar letter to Stormont Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald, whose department has responsibility for higher education funding. The move by the university and college heads has also been backed by a range of leading business organisations in the region. A statement of support has been signed by the heads of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, the CBI, the Institute of Directors, the Centre for Competitiveness, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Belfast, Londonderry and Causeway chambers of commerce. Annual tuition fees for students from the island of Ireland studying in Northern Ireland are currently capped at £4,750. Students from the rest of the UK who study in Northern Ireland pay up to £9,250. That is the same amount paid by Northern Ireland students studying in universities and colleges in England, Scotland and Wales. The £9,250 cap is increasing to £9,535 at the start of the next academic year in the autumn. The Northern Ireland university chiefs are not pressing for major structural changes to the current funding model, rather an increase to the fee cap for island of Ireland students to reflect the inflationary pressures of recent years. Their letter expresses frustration that tuition fee increases in Northern Ireland since 2011 have 'consistently fallen below inflation' while costs have 'risen dramatically'. Citing an example, the higher education leaders said if 2021 was taken as a new baseline point to apply retrospective inflationary uplifts, the corrected fee cap would be £5,831. 'This level of fee is still well below fees in England and Wales, which will be £9,535 in the next academic year,' said the letter. 'Index-linking the funding level will also protect the shared-investment approach that has served Northern Ireland well and guard against future further erosion of the per-student funding model.' The funding model in Northern Ireland is different to England and Wales, where institutions are primarily funded through tuition fees. In Northern Ireland, the Stormont Executive provides much more direct funding to further education institutions – a reason why the tuition fees are lower in the region. Scottish students studying in Scotland pay no tuition fees, with the Scottish Government funding places for local students. Universities across the UK also raise funds through their own commercial activities and by offering places to international students, who usually pay significantly more than local students. The sector as a whole has been hit by a sharp decline in the number of overseas students coming to the UK to study – a drop attributed to recent changes to visa rules. The university leaders stressed any increase to the fee cap should not be accompanied by a decrease in the amount of direct funding from Stormont. The letter was addressed to Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, DUP leader Gavin Robinson, Alliance leader Naomi Long, UUP leader Mike Nesbitt and SDLP leader Claire Hanna. It was also circulated to First Minister Michelle O'Neill, deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly, Economy Minister Ms Archibald and the leader of the official opposition at the Assembly, SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole. The letter concluded: 'We encourage all-party agreement in considering updating the current funding model by making this hitherto deferred, necessary inflationary adjustment – and by so doing preserve the distinctive philosophy of the Northern Ireland higher education funding model while delivering sustainability for the sector and maintaining opportunities for the students we support.'
