After inflicting two heavy defeats on the Government, on 1 April the House of Lords reluctantly gave way to the large Labour majority in the Commons, and ended its opposition to the withdrawal of business rates relief from independent schools with charitable status - a deplorable and discriminatory move which means that for the first time these schools will pay taxes that have never been levied on any charities before.
Lord Lexden made a final attack on the Government, noting that “its position throughout has been in essence this: we have to take away - they say - some of the resources of 7 per cent of our country’s schools to enable the other 93 per cent to make improvements.
“State schools will gain little or nothing from this tax raid, which will simply harm independent schools.
“Throughout our debates, I have tried to provide a voice for small independent schools, as President of the Independent Schools Association, whose 720 members are, for the most part, cherished small local schools. As I have said several times, 40 per cent of independent schools have under 100 pupils.
“Their future is now in jeopardy, thanks to this Government. Ministers will be held to account here in Parliament and in the country at large for the damage their policies will do to these schools ,which contribute so richly to our communities in spheres such as special needs, music, the arts and sport, as I and a number of noble friends have shown in these debates.
“Labour’s discriminatory tax burdens threaten their survival.”
