Following a week of teachers' strikes, a Royston councillor has signed an open letter calling for an above-inflation pay rise for all educators.
Cllr Chris Hinchcliff, the Labour and Co-operative district councillor for Royston Palace, signed the letter as part of the National Education Union's 'Save Our Schools' campaign.
The open letter calls on the Chancellor of Exchequer Jeremy Hunt to deliver a fully-funded pay settlement to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis within the country's education system.
Explaining why he signed the letter, Cllr Hinchcliff said: "When I speak to families in Royston, one of the top concerns for local parents is the state of our education system.
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"With overworked teachers, crowded classrooms and understaffed schools, it is local children who are bearing the brunt of the Tory government’s refusal to pay public sector workers fairly.
“Teachers and support staff work incredibly hard to help prepare their pupils for the life ahead of them and if we want the best for the next generation it is about time the Chancellor provided the funding for a genuinely valued education workforce, rather than focusing on how to let bankers pay themselves bigger bonuses."
The NEU letter can be found at https://actionnetwork.org/forms/payup-save-our-schools-letter-to-chancellor/.
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