During the 133rd plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), which took place on 6 and 7 February 2019 in Brussels, the members held a debate on the future EU programmes for education, culture, youth and sport with the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Mr Tibor Navracsics.

During the debate, Ms Gillian Ford, councillor in the London Borough of Havering said that education and learning require a holistic approach and that they are not just about schools, colleges, and universities. Cllr Ford also stressed the need for a robust conversation about the existing physical and social barriers, which hamper educational health and well-being. At the same time, she added, we need to have discussions about available resources and what requires additional funding.

Cllr Ford was the CoR rapporteur on the opinion "Building a stronger Europe: the role of youth, education and culture policies"