NORTHWICH schools would lose out under plans to introduce a national funding formula for schools from 2018, warns town councillor Andrew Cooper.

Speaking at Monday’s council meeting, Cllr Cooper said: “For all the piety we have been hearing about lately talking about taking care of people who are just about managing, this is about moving money from one group of people - our schools, our children - to another.

“This isn’t about savings and balancing the books. It is absolutely sickening, and I’m really concerned about what this means for Northwich schools.”

The Department for Education is consulting on the plans, which a Cheshire West and Chester Council report said would reduce funding to its schools.

The report said figures provided by the consultation showed an overall school funding reduction of £4.2 million for Cheshire West and Chester, 2.3 per cent of current school funding.

It said: “The consultation proposals do not appear to have considered the minimum funding required to operate a typical school, and the focus has been purely on the redistribution of national funding allocations.”

Charles Darwin, Leftwich, Victoria Road, Winnington Park and Witton Church Walk were cited by Cllr Cooper as examples of primary schools he said would lose tens of thousands of pounds under the new formula.

The County High School, Leftwich, would lose 2.9 per cent of its funding, he added, equivalent to £134,000, areas such as Surrey and and Wiltshire would see a funding increase, while funding would fall in areas such as Manchester and Liverpool.

Cllr Sam Naylor said: “This paints an awful picture for the future of education, particularly in this area.

“It’s not just education – it’s all the other public sector organisations which are being smashed by this government.

“Where is the opposition putting up a fight against what’s happening in this country?”

Cllr Derek Bowden said the scenario resulting from the new formula was ‘nightmarish’, warning about the possible loss of ‘vital’ classroom and special needs assistants should Northwich schools lose funding.

He said: “It’s frightening – I don’t know how to fight this, but it has to be fought.”