News

A new government

01 June 2015

We have some new faces and some familiar faces in the Education and Culture departments of the new government

Nicky Morgan was returned as Secretary of State for Education. She is supported by:

  • Nick Boles MP, Minister of State for Skills
  • Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools
  • Edward Timpson MP, Minister of State for Children and Families
  • Caroline Dinenage MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Family Justice
  • Sam Gyimah MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education
  • Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools

In the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) we have a new Secretary of State, John Whittingdale, who previously chaired the Culture, Media and Sport select committee. He is supported by:

  • Ed Vaizey MP, Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy
  • Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Intellectual Property
  • Tracey Crouch MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport and Tourism
  • Baroness Shields, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Internet Safety and Security

 

Queen’s speech

The Queen’s Speech on 27 May outlined the legislation and measures the government plans to implement over the next parliamentary session. This includes 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year-olds in families where all parents are working for 38 weeks a year and legislation for schools. 

The schools legislation will give Regional School Commissioners powers to bring in leadership support or to speed up the process of turning schools into academies where they receive an inadequate Ofsted rating, or where they meet a new coasting definition ‘having shown a prolonged period of mediocre performance and insufficient pupil progress’. The definition of coasting is still to be set out.

There will be funding for 500 more free schools over the course of the parliament.

The government also announced three million more apprenticeships over the next five years. There will be a new Youth Allowance for 18-21 year olds with stronger work related conditionality from Day 1. After six months they will be required to go on an apprenticeship, training or community work placement.

The Youth Offer will also provide Jobcentre Plus Adviser support in schools across England to supplement careers advice and will provide routes into work experience and apprenticeships.

There will also be a referendum on membership of the EU. This is significant because a change in UK membership could have a big impact on cultural learning since EU grants fund many arts and cultural programmes.

Read more detail about the plans here.

 

Emergency budget

George Osborne has announced an emergency budget on the 8 July. We expect there will be details of cuts to the welfare bill and there may also be in year cuts to other departments, including DCMS.

You can submit policy suggestions to the Treasury until 5 June. Details on how to send in an idea are here. The CLA together with What Next? will be submitting.