A cross-party letter has been signed by 164 MPs and handed to the chancellor demanding an above inflation increase to FE funding in the upcoming spending review. Co-authored by Conservative MP Richard Graham and Labour MP Nic Dakin, the letter tells Phillip Hammond that “while government policy has protected the incomes of schools and universities, colleges have been dealt an average funding cut of 30 per cent over the last ten years”. “We believe this constraint on FE resources has had an impact on the teaching, courses and above all opportunities for young people and skills of all ages,” it adds, and describes FE as the “Cinderella” of education spending. The letter, which was given to Mr Hammond by Mr Graham and Gloucestershire College principal Matthew Burgess on Friday, was backed by 89 Conservative MPs and 72 Labour MPs, as well as two Liberal Democrat MPs and one Green Party MP. It adds that the chancellor’s departmental spending review is a “chance to announce an above inflation increase which would boost skills, productivity and social mobility”. The letter follows two high-profile campaigns to boost FE funding over the last year – Raise the Rate and Love Our Colleges. Both are calling for funding for all 16 to 19-year-olds to increase to £4,760. Funding for 16 and 17-year-olds has been frozen at £4,000 per student since 2013, while per-student funding for 18-year-olds was cut to £3,300 in 2014. The campaigns have been gathering momentum in recent weeks and led to over 50 MPs taking part in a Westminster Hall debate in January when members from all sides of the House of Commons called for an end to six years of real-term FE funding rate cuts. After signing the letter, Mr Dakin said: “From my years as a college principal, I know how important this issue is. Our colleges are the engines of social mobility, transforming the prospects of our young people and delivering the skills our local businesses want. “It is vital that the government invests in our colleges.” James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “This year’s spending review is a pivotal one for colleges so we are pleased that so many MPs are backing calls for an increase in funding. “If the government is serious about improving social mobility and increasing productivity, raising the funding rate for 16 to 18 year olds should be one of the Chancellor’s main priorities.” The Association of Colleges chief executive, David Hughes, added: “There is now very strong cross-party support for the 2.2 million people who study and train in FE colleges each year. It’s vital the government helps those tasked with helping to solve the skills gap.” Main image: Richard Graham MP handing over the cross party letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond beside Gloucestershire College principal Matthew Burgess The 164 MPs that back the call for more FE funding: Conservative Labour Lib Dem Green Richard Graham MP – Gloucester Jack Dromey MP – Birmingham, Erdington Wera Hobhouse MP – Bath Caroline Lucas MP – Brighton, Pavilion Alex Chalk MP – Cheltenham Christian Matheson MP – City of Chester Vince Cable MP – Twickenham West Derby Sir Roger Gale MP – North Thanet Lillian Greenwood MP – Nottingham South Robert Courts MP – Witney Nik Dakin MP – Scunthorpe Philip Davies MP – Shipley Wes Streeting MP – Ilford North Ben Bradley MP – Mansfield Diana Johnson MP – Kingston upon Hull North Mark Garnier MP – Wyre Forest Anna Turley MP – Redcar Peter Aldous MP- Waveney Melanie Onn MP – Great Grimsby Andrea Jenkyns MP – Morley & Outwood Lisa Nandy MP – Wigan William Wragg MP – Hazel Grove Louise Haigh MP – Sheffield Damien Moore MP – Southport Gareth Thomas MP – Harrow West Sir Nicholas Soames MP – Mid Sussex Dan Jarvis MP – Barnsley Central Martin Vickers MP – Cleethorpes Karl Turner MP – Kingston upon Hull East Jeremy Lefroy MP- Stafford Jeff Smith MP – Manchester, Withington Will Quince MP – Colchester Stephen Timms MP – East Ham Charlie Elphicke MP – Dover Lucy Powell MP – Manchester Central Scott Mann MP – North Cornwall Chi Onwurah MP – Newcastle Upon Tyne Richard Drax MP – South Dorset Ruth Cadbury MP – Brentford & Isleworth Mark Prisk MP – Hertford & Stortford Vernon Coaker MP – Gedling Maria Caulfield MP – Lewes Daniel Zeichner MP – Cambridge Dr Sarah Wollaston MP – Totnes Alex Cunningham MP – Stockton North Neil O’Brien MP – Harborough Paul Blomfield MP – Sheffield Central Dr Julian Lewis MP – New Forest East Alex Sobel MP – Leeds North West Dame Caroline Spelman MP – Meriden Jonathan Reynolds MP – Stalybridge & Hyde Andrew Percy MP – Brigg and Goole Stephen Kinnock MP – Aberavon Boris Johnson MP – Uxbridge & South Ruislip Dr Alan Whitehead MP – Southampton, Test Sir Robert Syms MP – Poole Shabana Mahmood MP – Birmingham, Ladywood Philip Dunne MP – Ludlow Andy Slaughter MP – Hammersmith Marcus Jones MP – Nuneaton Rosie Duffield MP – Canterbury Sir Hugo Swire MP – East Devon Seema Malhotra MP – Feltham and Heston Laurence Robertson MP – Tewkesbury Rushanara Ali MP – Bethnal Green & Bow Neil Parish MP – Tiverton and Honiton Liz Twist MP – Blaydon Sir Henry Bellingham MP – North West Norfolk Clive Efford MP – Eltham Maria Miller MP – Basingstoke Luke Pollard MP – Plymouth, Sutton & Devonport Julian Sturdy MP – York Outer Sharon Hodgson MP – Washington & Sunderland West Andrew Selous MP – South West Bedfordshire Karyn Smyth MP – Bristol South Stephen Metcalfe MP – South Basildon & East Thurrock Kate Hollern MP – Blackbum Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP – The Cotswolds Karen Buck MP-Westminster North Bim Afolami MP – Hitchin & Harpenden Richard Burden MP – Birmingham, Northfield Damian Collins MP – Folkestone and Hythe Liam Byrne MP – Birmingham, Hodge Hill Jacob Rees-Mogg MP – North East Somerset Helen Goodman MP – Bishop Auckland Simon Hart MP – Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire Roberta Blackman-Woods MP – Durham Daniel Kawczynski MP – Shrewsbury and Atcham Stephen Twigg MP – Liverpool Andrew Lewer MBE MP – Northampton South Thelma Walker MP – Colne Valley Mark Menzies MP – Fylde Eleanor Smith MP – Wolverhampton South West Damian Green MP – Ashford Stella Creasy MP – Walthamstow Anne Marie Morris MP – Newton Abbot Mohammad Yasin MP – Bedford Pauline Latham MP – Mid Derbyshire Alison McGovern MP – Wirral South James Gray MP – North Wiltshire Emma Lewell-Buck MP – South Shields Zac Goldsmith MP -Richmond Park Anneliese Dodds MP-Oxford East Ian Liddell-Grainger MP – Bridgwater & West Somerset Paul Williams MP – Stockton South Gordon Henderson MP – Sittingbourne & Sheppey Matt Western MP-Warwick and Leamington Chris Green MP – Bolton West Afzal Khan MP – Manchester, Gorton Conor Burns MP – Bournemouth West Rosie Cooper MP-West Lancashire Andrew Griffiths MP – Burton and Uttoxeter Bambos Charalambous MP-Enfield, Southgate Mark Pawsey MP – Rugby Marsha De Cordova MP-Battersea Anne Main MP – St Albans Yasmin Qureshi MP – Bolton South East Anna Soubry MP – Broxtowe Grahame Morris MP – Easington Robert Halfon MP – Harlow Julie Cooper MP – Burnley Giles Watling MP – Clacton Alex Norris MP-Nottingham North Crispin Blunt MP – Reigate Thangam Debbonaire MP – Bristol West Bob Stewart MP – Beckenham Jared O’Mara MP – Sheffield, Hallam Royston Smith MP – Southampton, ltchen Jack Dromey MP – Birmingham, Erdington Marcus Fysh MP – Yeovil Naz Shah MP – Bradford West David Tredinnick MP – Bosworth Vicky Foxcroft MP – Lewisham, Deptford Nick Boles MP – Grantham and Stamford Gill Furniss MP – Sheffield, Brightside, and Hillsborough Michael Tomlinson MP – Mid Dorset and North Poole Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP – Slough Antoinette Sandbach MP – Eddisbury Faisal Rashid MP – Warrington South Kevin Hollinrake MP – Thirsk and Malton Catherine West MP – Hornsey & Wood Green Eddie Hughes MP – Walsall North Yvonne Fovargue MP – Makerfield Dan Poulter – Central Suffolk & North Ipswich Steve McCabe MP – Birmingham, Selly Oak Heidi Allen MP – South Cambridgeshire Mary Glindon MP – North Tyneside Gillian Keegan MP – Chichester Iain Duncan Smith MP – Chingford and Woodford Green James Heappey MP- Wells Anne Marie Trevelyan MP – Berwick-upon-Tweed Rebecca Pow MP – Taunton Deane Tracey Crouch MP – Chatham & Aylesford Henry Smith MP – Crawley Bill Cash MP – Stone Sheryll Murray MP – South East Cornwall Nigel Mills MP – Amber Valley Mike Penning MP – Hemel Hempstead Craig Mackinlay MP – South Thanet Sir Bernard Jenkin MP – Harwich & North Essex Keith Simpson MP – Broadland Andrew Bridgen MP – North West Leicestershire Nadine Dorries MP – Mid Bedfordshire Steve Double MP – St Austell & Newquay