A MONMOUTHSHIRE school governor says his school will have no option but to lose staff following the council’s refusal to increase the education budget.

In an impassioned plea to the council during a debate about school budgets, Martyn Groucutt an Abergavenny councillor and governor at King Henry VIII school said the school could not afford textbooks or new technology now because of budget restraints.

He was supporting an ultimately unsuccessful bid to increase nest year’s education budget in Monmouthshire by £1m.

King Henry VIII, along with Monmouth Comprehensive, is expected to be more than £300,000 in deficit by the end of the term.

And Councillor Groucutt said the in order to recover that deficit his school would have no option but to lose staff.

“As the head teacher said to me, our statutory duty is to teach pupils and we will continue to do that effectively but it will largely be at the expense of support to the needy, and the vulnerable.”

The meeting heard that since September 2014, King Henry VIII has saved nearly £500,000 through cuts and by losing eight teachers and two support staff.

Cllr Groucutt said for the council to then expect the school cover their current deficit was an “insult” to staff.

“This means that some of those who have worked so hard to turn this school around when they return from their Christmas break will be faced with cuts,” he added.

“Staff are working additional hours to generate this additional income. What a commitment this is, despite the failure of this council to give the funding it needs to provide services.”

The Lansdown member also said that staff from the school were training and supporting teachers in other schools because of their “acknowledged excellence”.

He added: “Outcomes at King Henry have increased sharply and continue to do as a result of impressive and decisive leadership, of committed and talented staff.

“King Henry would be in a far worse position if it were not the fact that it is now such a successful school.”

The motion put forward by Labour group leader Cllr Dimitri Batrouni was defeated following a vote.

The £1 million quoted in the motion by Cllr Dimitri Batrouni was described as being “plucked out of thin air” by Cllr Bob Greenland.

“You need to answer where it’s coming from,” he added.

Cllr Richard John, cabinet member for children and young people, blamed the Welsh Government cutting its post-16 funding to Monmouthshire for the deficits.

He said: “If we were to put an extra million pounds into our system, unless it’s targeted specially at those two secondary schools (King Henry VIII and Monmouth School) that have big deficits, then you’re simply going to be improving school balances already in a surplus.”