Why won't Fife Council let headteachers run our schools?

9.00.00am GMT Sun 29th Jan 2006

Lib Dem by-election candidate Willie Rennie today slammed Fife Council over reports that only half of the authority's education budget is given directly to schools to spend.

Figures in a Sunday newspaper reveal that headteachers in Fife get only 52% of the education budget - leaving Labour-run Fife Council to decide how the remaining 48% is spent.

The average Scottish Council gives 67% of its education budget to headteachers to spend themselves - with some areas giving more than 85% of the schools cash directly to heads.

Of the 32 local councils in Scotland, only two areas give their headteachers less money to spend than Fife.

Commenting today, Willie Rennie said:

"These are shocking statistics which reveal just how little money reaches our local classrooms and it provides yet more evidence that Labour-run Fife Council is failing our schools and our children.

"I think that most parents and teachers would agree that our headteachers know better than council bureaucrats what our schools and children need most.

"In some parts of Scotland, headteachers get up to 87% of the education budget to spend. Why is it that Fife Council gives our headteachers only 52%? Parents deserve answers.

"This information is particularly concerning, especially in light of the poor educational standards in so many of our schools in Fife.

"That's why I want to see more power devolved to our schools with local headteachers given more control over the purse strings."