A POLITICAL row has erupted over claims by Swindon Council’s Tory administration that pupils in the town get £1,500 less Government funding than the average British child.

Coun Russell Holland (Con, St Margaret) will present a motion to full council calling on Swindon Council leader Rod Bluh to write to Children’s Minister Ed Balls about Swindon’s poor funding.

According to Coun Holland Swindon receives £3,913 per pupil, compared to an average of £5,410 last year in England.

But the figures have been disputed by both a local Labour councillor and South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove, who accused the council of playing politics with people’s lives.

The motion also criticises comments made by Mr Balls to the Adver last month, in which he said Churchfields School and Dorcan Technology College had dipped below the national standards expected of schools.

Coun Holland said: “This was prompted by Ed Balls’ comments. It is fair enough to say Churchfields and Dorcan need to improve but when he is the one behind us getting poor funding he needs to answer to that.”

But Mrs Snelgrove claimed the figures relate to 2005/06 and the most recent settlement for 2007 -2010 added an extra £482 a pupil.

She said: “This childish motion is not going get anymore funding – all it will do is damage hundreds of hours lobbying by myself and Michael Wills.

“To convince ministers and civil servants of the need for further funding the council needs to work with me and explain exactly why it needs that money and what it will do with it.”

Coun Fay Howard, the education spokeswoman for Swindon Council’s Labour group, also disputed the Tories’ figures, saying £5,410 was the figure for the UK. She said the average for England was much closer to the Swindon figure, at £4,218.

She said: “This motion could make it more difficult for Swindon to get funding. It is potentially damaging and based on flawed figures.”

Coun Howard said she was also mystified by the attack on Ed Balls. “I presume they are referring to what he said in the Adver,” she said.

“But he was talking about everyone working together to improve the situation. Surely they can’t be arguing with that?

The motion will be discussed at the council meeting at the Civic Offices, at 7pm tomorrow.