EXCLUSIVE: COSLA have downplayed suggestions the VAT policy will place a burden on council-run comprehensives.
Council bosses have dismissed concerns UK Government plans for VAT on private school fees will put huge pressure on the state sector. Umbrella group COSLA said the policy will not have a “wide-spread impact” on school capacity.
But local government papers have downplayed the fears and backed up the Government view state schools can cope. One document stated: "Officers confirmed that they had engaged with the Scottish Government on this matter, and that the feeling generally was that any displacement was broadly manageable.”
SNP First Minister John Swinney is supportive of the VAT move and signalled any extra cash would be spent on schools. It came after Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s Education Secretary, rejected claims private schools would cut back on bursaries after VAT is introduced. A newspaper reported that assistance such as support for pupils from deprived backgrounds would suffer.
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