A MOTION is to be submitted tomorrow (16th January) to revoke Monmouthshire County Council's (MCC) decision not to fund a one per cent pay award for Monmouthshire's schools.

Instead of MCC funding the pay award, it has requested that individual schools fund the costs due to lack of funds, stated by Paul Matthews at School Budget Forum on 28th November 2013.

School chairs of governors and headteachers have sent a letter to the chief executive of MCC, Paul Matthews, requesting him to revoke the decision not to fund the pay award.

Councillor Debby Blakebrough, of the Trellech United ward who will be presenting the motion tomorrow at full council, suggested MCC should fund the Monmouthshire schools pay award in full to cover the seven month period from the 1st September 2013 to 31st March 2014.

Cllr Blakebrough believes MCC should fund the one per cent as they were made aware in March/April 2013 that the one per cent pay award for school staff was being considered and would have an impact on the budget. Cllr Blakebrough suggested that school's staffing and budgets were determined by 2013/14 which would leave little opportunity to revise the costs and find funds to pay the unexpected bill.

Cllr Blakebrough said: "I believe that the Local Authority has mismanaged their own budget putting unreasonable pressures on the schools and failed to communicate or consult with Governors and Head Teachers appropriately."