Coventry South MP, Jim Cunningham, has launched a stinging attack on the coalition’s cuts to education investment in Coventry.

During a Westminster Hall debate secured by Jim, he criticised the Government’s decision to axe several educational bodies in the city, as well as their cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future project in Coventry.

Following recent Government announcements, both the British Educational and Communications Technology Agency and the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency are to be abolished.  They employ nearly 1000 staff in the city between them.

Jim criticised the Government’s lack of clarity over what will happen to the functions currently performed by these bodies, as the Government have openly admitted that some are so vital to the wider education sector that they will need to continue.

He also labelled the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme ‘devastating’ for education in the city, and highlighted the millions the council had already spent on developing the project, only for it to be axed.

Speaking after the debate, Jim said, “These issues have far reaching and potentially disastrous impacts for Coventry. I have been at the forefront of efforts to obtain clarity from the Government on the future of these agencies and the BSF programme, and am determined to achieve a better resolution for the people of Coventry than that currently being offered by the Government.

“The Government are using a smokescreen to cover their ideologically driven cuts.  For example, they have openly admitted that many of the functions of the QCDA will need to continue, so why have they closed the agency in the first place?

“Now the Capital Allocation Review Team has visited Coventry to assess the need for capital spending on school buildings, I will be pushing the Secretary of State for Education to announce how much funding is going to be released to Coventry.

“Coventry has been disproportionately affected by these cuts – I will be fighting for a fair resolution on behalf of my constituents.”