Education Bill 2011

London Councils has been engaged in a series of lobbying activities regarding the Education Bill put forward by the Secretary of State in January 2011.  The thrust of London Councils' position was issued in a briefing issued before the 2nd reading in parliament:

"Communities should be able to decide what type of school they want for their children – and local authorities are best placed make sure the all views are taken into account when determining what type of education provision they would like in their areas.

London Councils is concerned that the proposals do not take full advantage of the experience and expertise of local authorities, potentially limiting the ability for communities to help shape education provision in their area.

In its white paper, the government had previously identified a crucial role for local authorities as ‘champions for children and their parents’ however the proposals detailed in the Bill run counter to this aim, being inconsistent with the coalition’s philosophy of localism and against the spirit of the Localism Bill."

The full briefing can be viewed in the accompanying PDF above.  London Councils also previously published a briefing on the Government's white paper, The Importance of Teaching, much of which informed the composition of Education Bill. Read more and download the briefing