In this month’s Leicester Mercury column, I talk how we must build a brighter future for our children as we emerge from this pandemic. Education must be top of the agenda. Right now, the Government’s National Tutoring Programme won’t even reach every pupil on Free School Meals, and the extra money for schools to deal with the impact of Covid-19 is a paltry 43 pence per pupil. 

Leicester has had the longest lockdown of anywhere in the country. If we want to build a brighter future as we emerge from the virus, we need a long-term strategy backed with proper Government support – not a quick fix done on a shoestring.