Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to offset the additional cost of educational delivery in Greater London and ensure that London university and college students do not fall behind their counterparts in England, following the withdrawal of the London weighting element of the Teaching Grant.

The higher education (HE) teaching grant will be reformed for the 2021-22 financial year to ensure that more of taxpayers’ money is spent on supporting HE provision which aligns with national priorities, such as healthcare, science, technology, engineering and mathematics and subjects meeting specific labour market needs.

London weighting funding is a small proportion of the overall income of providers and it is right for government to re-allocate public money where it is most needed. Universities should not receive additional investment for teaching simply because of where they are located: excellent provision can be delivered across the country.

London already has, on average, the highest percentage of good or outstanding schools, the highest progression to HE, and more HE providers than in any other region in England. This government is firmly committed to the levelling up agenda and this reform will invest more money directly into high quality institutions in the Midlands and the North.

The Office for Students will consult on these changes before final allocations for the 2021-22 financial year are confirmed.