IN a recent letter, Dr Paul Jackson produced a set of figures that placed Worcestershire's education funding in a surprisingly favourable light, and then criticised me for misrepresenting statistics.

It is Dr Jackson who has got the figures badly wrong.

I have gone back to the website of the Department for Education and Skills on changes in per pupil funding for local education authorities (LEAs) in England from 1997 to 2004 (www.dfes.gov..uk/pns/pnattach/20030079/4.htm) and calculated Worcestershire's position according to those official statistics. I also asked the House of Commons library to do the same thing. Our results were identical.

Funding in Worcestershire rose from £2,744 (1997/98) to £3,300 (2003/04) - a rise of 20.3 per cent. Funding rose 27.5 per cent over the same period across England. This increase placed Worcestershire 146 out of 150 LEAs.

Worcestershire was ranked 144 out of 150 LEAs in terms of funding levels in 2003/04.

The annual average increase in funding for Worcestershire was 3.1 per cent. This compares with a 4.1 per cent annual average increase across England.

What these figures show is that our county is receiving a significantly smaller percentage increase and a significantly smaller cash increase than almost every other LEA.

Every teacher, governor, parent and politician in the county should be aware of these stark and shameful facts and unite in doing something to put matters right.

PETER LUFF,

MP for Mid Worcestershire

Assistant Chief Whip, Official Opposition

House of Commons

London SW1A 0AA

Telephone 01905 763952

London.