GLF Schools' CEO, Jon Chaloner, discusses the rising energy costs with LBC's Tom Swarbrick
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26/09/2022
The problem of rocketing energy costs for schools across the country was discussed by our CEO Jon Chaloner when he spoke with LBC’s Tom Swarbrick recently.
Mr Chaloner told listeners that bills across GLF schools could hit a total of £4.5m in the next year, a £3m rise in the cost up to now, and he warned that cuts may have to be made elsewhere just to pay the bills.
“We’ve budgeted £1.7m extra for this year, and, two weeks ago, in the middle of the summer holidays, we managed to then get told by our consultants that we ought to set aside an extra £1.5m for this year as well,” he said.
GLF Schools has been advised to put aside ‘£1.5 to £4.5m’ to cover the rising costs, and Mr Chaloner suggested that schools’ reserves were being ‘sacrificed to energy companies’.
Just one of our primary schools has already seen its energy bill increase more than five-fold from £40,000 to £231,000, listeners were told.
Mr Chaloner, who has written to the Department for Education and constituency MPs about the issue, added that many schools across the country could be facing bankruptcy as a result of the hike in energy prices.
“We have to pay for it somehow, so we have to cut elsewhere,” he said. “We’ve been watching it coming for the last 12 months, but it’s really hit us hard.
“We will keep going until the lights are switched off – and that’s not us switching the lights off, that’s when it’s done to us. We will keep on going and stay open, and do the best for our children, but the reserves that we have in order to spend on projects for our children are being sacrificed to energy companies.”
The government has since confirmed plans to help non-domestic energy users which could equate to a saving of £4,000 for a school paying £10,000 a month. Initially the scheme will be in place from October 1 this year to the end of March 2023.
The announcement said the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy would compensate energy suppliers for the reduction to non-domestic consumers.
