One of the problems with conducting the role of opposition in the manner of a rent-a-quote spokesperson is that occasionally the words that you use to best fit the story the journalist is seeking to write does not match the careful image that you are trying to construct for yourself as an opposition.
Thus the Conservatives argue that they are a party in favour of localism and empowerment but when it comes to the crunch their centralising tendencies are as bad as, if not worse than Labour. The same is true for Plaid Cymru.
A good example is this story, currently featuring on the Welsh opt-out of the Politics Show, in which it is revealed that one in 10 Welsh schools are in debt while others have reserves totalling £70m.
Conservative rhetoric on schools has always been a bit confused. Sometimes they are calling for schools for be directly funded, for headteachers and teachers to be given more freedom and control and for red tape to be slashed, at other times they are calling on the Welsh Government to intervene and run things differently.
In this case their solution is for Ministers to remove the money that schools have in their reserves and redistribute it to those in deficit. It sounds plausible but it hardly chimes with the principles of local control and management, nor does it fit in with the principle of delegating budgets to schools, which the Tories supported in the past.
For once the Welsh Government spokesperson has got it right: “Local authorities have a duty to ensure that schools manage their finances properly.
“There may be legitimate reasons for a school to be in deficit provided it has a clear plan for moving back into balance.
“There can also be legitimate reasons for schools to build up a surplus, for example if they are saving money to refurbish or extend accommodation.
“Once budgets are delegated it would be contrary to the principles of good governance to remove a part of that budget to pay another school’s deficit.”
The problems that are highlighted in this piece are a direct result of the underfunding of education in Wales and if we are to call for anything to be addressed it is that.
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