THE CONSERVATIVE candidate for the Thornbury and Yate constituency has announced that education will be a "top priority” should he be re-elected in June.

Luke Hall has promised to push for a fairer school funding deal for South Gloucestershire schools to ensure that “residents’ concerns are heard at the very top in Westminster”.

Mr Hall said: “For too long now South Gloucestershire has been losing out to other areas of the country.

“Having been educated in state schools in South Gloucestershire myself, I will continue to push government ministers for a better deal for our community.”

Mr Hall's last meeting before dissolution was with the Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening, with whom he presented the issues facing South Gloucestershire schools.

During Mr Hall’s tenure as the MP for Thornbury and Yate, the amount of funding per pupil in some schools has risen, with an average increase of £195 per pupil from 2014/15 to 2016-17.

Some of the local schools to have seen such a rise include Charfield Primary School and Brimsham Green School, who have experienced an increase per pupil of £252 and £410 respectively.