EXTRA money for schools in Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak’s budget on Wednesday last week has been welcomed by Devon County Council — albeit with the caveat that the extra funds are not enough to bring the county’s schools up to the same level as those elsewhere in the country.

The Chancellor announced that schools nationwide are to get an extra £4.7bn by 2024-25 and that there will be nearly £2bn to help schools and colleges to recover from the pandemic.

The Government says this will return schools funding to 2010 levels in real terms, with a cash increase per pupil of more than £1,500, ending more than a decade of shrinking budgets in schools. However, critics say this does not go far enough in helping schools which are suffering from years of under investment.

Devon County Council’s Cabinet member for schools Andrew Leadbetter said: ‘We’ve been calling for fairer funding for education and the Chancellor’s promise to return school spending to 2010 levels in real terms is very welcome. But we still need to see funding for Devon’s children being levelled up to pupils in other areas with a change to the national funding formula. The extra money for special needs education with more places for our most vulnerable children is also welcome but it doesn’t appear to address the continuing disparity in the funding we get and the increasing needs we have to satisfy. The council also heard in today’s budget announcement, funds of £50k to update the business case for the Tavistock to Bere Alston railway line. The council produced a business case a few years ago, but they will now use the funding announced today to refresh the business case and submit it to the Department for Transport.’

Meanwhile, the area’s hostelries welcomed the Chancellor’s announcment of a reduction in the ‘draught duty rate’ in pubs. The duty on draught beer and cider will be cut by 5%, about 3p a pint, in a bid to help struggling pubs. It is hoped that it will encourage people back into community pubs, making prices closer to those of alcohol ’takeaways’ from the supermarkets.

Peter Bridle, South West Regional Director for CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, said: ‘The introduction of reduced draught duty rate is good news for cask (real ale), cider and perry drinkers and the UK’s pubs.This is something that CAMRA has campaigned on for a few years and we are very pleased that the Government has listened and has agreed that beer, cider and perry sold in pubs and social clubs should be taxed at a different rate to that sold in places such as supermarkets.

‘Community pubs need support like never before and we hope that this new Draught Duty rate will go some way to encourage people back into community pubs which will also help boost local economies.’

The tax on alcohol is being simplified, with duty now to be based on the alcoholic strength of the drink, benefiting those who like a lighter tipple including many sparkling wines.

There was another budget boost for the stricken hospitality and leisure industry as it emerges from the pandemic, with a 50% business rate discount for pubs, cinemas, restaurants, gyms and other venues, up to £110,000 per business.

In conjunction with Small Business Rates Relief, the Chancellor said that this would mean that 90 % of all leisure, retail and hospitality businesses will be eligible for a 50% reduction in their business rates. There was no help with domestic energy bills for striken households faced with rising prices this winter. However, in a crumb of comfort for drivers, fuel duty has been frozen (together with VAT, tax accounts for 60% of fuel prices). Already announced on Monday, the minimum wage will increase to £9.50 an hour from April next year for those aged 23 and over.