Expert's low marks for £5,000 Shropshire academies charge
Schools could be "priced out" of converting to academies if councils press ahead with plans to charge thousands of pounds, a firm of solicitors has said.
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The move, revealed by the Shropshire Star on Thursday, would cover legal and administrative costs, according to the councils.
But the plan was today attacked by legal experts at Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors, who assist schools across Shropshire and Herefordshire to make the switch to academies.
They say it could lead to problems for schools and was an unfair penalty at a time when money is tight.
Shropshire Council says the move could be brought in in January and Telford & Wrekin Council says it is also considering the charge.
It comes after Staffordshire Council became the first in the country to charge schools converting to academies.
William Morse, head of education at Lanyon Bowdler, said proposals to charge schools £5,000 to cover council costs if they wanted to convert to an academy could set a dangerous precedent.
He said: "Whether or not it is intended to be, the policy would act as a very significant hurdle for schools to overcome, whose calculation as to whether academy conversion is right for them is already a finely balanced judgement, with the financial viability often being marginal.
"Once the line has been crossed with this, councils will effectively be able to price schools out of converting to an academy, because once the precedent is set the cost can be increased.
"The question must be asked as to whether the interests of children – and of the council tax payers who are their parents – in the schools for whom academy status is manifestly the best approach are being best served. Such an approach by councils would be contrary to the position envisaged in the Government's legislation, which is designed to enable schools to convert to academies with little or no resistance."
"One would expect that if this approach is taken, the Government would legislate to prevent councils from effectively impeding the will of Parliament in relation to national educational policy.
"The move perhaps represents the worry some councils are now feeling at the prospect of having their education remit and function effectively removed through universal academy conversion."
Academies are free of local authority control. and have more freedom to use budgets and set school policy.There are 26 academies already in the Shropshire Council area and 11 in Telford & Wrekin. Any charges brought in would be for schools considering becoming new academies and would not be retrospective.
