Let’s compare the political parties general election 2017 pledges
As we all know the general election is approaching us soon, so who will you be voting for. Let’s take a look at what the political parties are saying.
From hearing all pledges made by the political parties it is obvious that they are all looking at ways to help struggling parents, however, where is the help for childcare providers?. According to the Tories, they are promising to create nurseries alongside every school, the idea being to create more childcare places.
Conservatives
The Conservative Party are promising to;
- Scrap-free school meals for children from 4 years to seven years and offer a free school breakfast, however, children from disadvantaged backgrounds will still be able to receive a free school meal.
- Stop schools funding being cut
- Create 100 new free schools a year
- Provide all new primary school with a nursery provision with new capital funding
Conservatives are also looking at what universities charge and if fees are £9,000 + then universities must sponsor free schools or academies, they are saying there will be no cuts to tuition fees.
Good news for teachers, as they will not have to repay student loans as long as they stay employed in the same profession.
Now let’s take a look at what the Labour Party promises;
Labour
- Extend the 30hrs free childcare scheme to two-year-olds and all families regardless if they work or not.
- Universty tuition fees will be scrapped
- They would re-introduce maintenance grants for university students
- For those entering the health, profession bursaries will return
- Private schools to be charged VAT on top of school fees to fund free school meals for all primary school children.
- Paternity leave will be doubled to four weeks, as well as increasing paternity pay.
- Class sizes for 5 to 7-year-olds will be cut below 30
The Liberal Democrats are promising to;
- Increase the Pupil Premium to £1,000
- Provide a fairer funding formula for schools
- Extend the 15hr free childcare scheme to all two-year-olds as well as 1-year-olds
- Extend paternity leave by a month
- Re-introduce student nurse bursaries
What do people thing about all these pledges made, are they realistic or are some set to fail?