A York councillor has launched a stinging attack on the South Bank Multi Academy Trust's plans to cut the wages of teaching assistants and other support staff.

Micklegate Labour councillor Jonny Crawshaw says the ongoing consultation with low-paid staff at the Trust's six schools -Millthorpe, York High, Carr Juniors, Knavesmire, Scarcroft and Woodthorpe - is little more than a 'crass fire and rehire' exercise.

He says the Academy Trust has a Chief Executive, Mark Hassack, on a 'six figure salary', and a central admin team of as many as 10 staff, at least four of whom were recruited this year on salaries above £50,000.

If six-figure savings at the trust have to be found, Cllr Crawshaw says, there are 'more appropriate places to look' than at the Trust's lowest paid staff.

In a column published in full on The Press website today, Cllr Crawshaw says he helped campaign against the establishment of the Academy Trust in 2015 - but that in the seven years since the community had begun to heal.

"It breaks my heart to see relationships being tested once more," he writes.

"Seemingly the last remaining unbroken promise from 2015, to honour staff terms and conditions, is now under attack, with a consultation underway on proposals to terminate the contracts of 43 staff – the majority Teaching Assistants, women and paid below £20,000 per annum – in order to re-employ them on reduced terms equating to a real-terms pay cut of up to £3,000 per year.

"The MAT cites financial pressures and frames these changes as driven by fairness. However, no job appraisal has taken place and it has been inferred that at least some teaching assistants have been unfairly paid 'for work they haven’t done' during school holidays.

"Schools face significant pressure and York’s schools are amongst the lowest funded in the country.

"But it should not be those on the lowest incomes who are asked to bear the brunt of these challenges. If the staffing structure is wrong then a proper jobs appraisal process must be followed, not a crass fire and rehire 'consultation'. If a six-figure sum must be found, there are more appropriate places to look first."

Responding to Cllr Crawshaw's column, a spokesperson for the Academy trust stressed that staff pay grades were NOT being reevaluated.

"This is a consultation on a proposal to address working/paid weeks," the spokesperson said.

A 'Stop the pay cuts' petition launched by parents of children at the Academy Trust's schools had, at the time of writing, been signed by almost 1,200 people.

But the Trust spokesperson insisted that the consultation was aimed at staff - not parents and other members of the wider community.

"The staff consultation process is an opportunity for colleagues to provide feedback and ask questions with regards to the proposals," the spokesperson said.

"Whilst we understand that parents and the community may wish to be involved and will have a view on the proposals, the consultation process is for staff to engage in with the Trust."