South Gloucestershire’s schools are ‘crumbling’, the council’s co-leader has warned.

The district is the second lowest funded education authority in the country, and Labour Cllr Ian Boulton said it would take the party’s new national government a decade to turn things around.

His comments came at a meeting of full council as he clashed with opposition Conservative Cllr Erica Williams over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plans to scrap tax breaks for private schools.

Last week’s King’s Speech included Labour’s promise to end the VAT exemption on independent school fees to raise up to £1.6billion a year for 6,500 extra teachers in state primary and secondary schools.

Cllr Wiliams (Conservative, Bitton & Oldland Common) told the council meeting: “If, as is widely predicted, private schools across the country and here in South Gloucestershire have to close their doors due to the new VAT charges, the life chances of a significant number of children and young people will be negatively affected.

“Even with extra funding going into the state sector, private schools offer a leg-up for children from a range of social backgrounds.

“How is potentially hurting the life chances of our children a sensible way to improve the lives of people in South Gloucestershire?”

Boulton replied: “Erica, I know you, I like you, I don’t believe you really believe that.

“This move will bring in thousands of new teachers into the state sector, helping our schools.

“You’ll know this as my predecessor in this role that we were the lowest funded local education authority in the country, and to have money coming in to support our public sector schools will make a huge difference.

“You will have attended the schools forum and you will have heard the headteachers often in tears talking about the funding crisis in our schools.

“I would be really disappointed if anyone in this chamber turns down the idea of extra funding going into our education sector in South Gloucestershire.

“This is something to be celebrated and I’m absolutely delighted that it was mentioned as a key point in the King’s Speech.”

In a written answer before the meeting on Wednesday, July 17, Cllr Boulton said: “It is unknown at this time whether individual independent schools will choose to meet the additional cost to trustees of meeting VAT through an increase in fees or from their reserves.

“If fees do increase, then given the low number of independent primary and secondary schools located in the area, it may be that a relatively small number of children and young people will require places in the maintained sector.

“Although it is not possible to predict what that number might be at this stage, it is anticipated that this additional demand can be accommodated in the maintained sector.”

Asked by Cllr Alex Doyle (Labour, Filton) how he thought the new government would deal with the “mess” inherited from the Conservatives in Westminster, Cllr Boulton (Labour, Staple Hill & Mangotsfield) told full council: “We have to be clear that it’s been 14 years of misrule from the previous government.

“I cannot think of a single thing in this country that has really got better in the last 14 years.

“I really struggle. That was the challenge I put on the doorstep when I was canvassing, and our residents couldn’t think of anything either.

“This will take a decade of renewal to turn things around, to improve our economy, to increase the standard of our schools.

“You think of our schools, they are crumbling. Our schools are bursting.

“It will take a decade of renewal and I am delighted that we are in a position to start that.”