headteachers from Worcestershire joined MP Sir Michael Spicer on Tuesday to lobby Schools Minister David Milliband for more money for county schools.

A report commissioned by Worcester-shire County Council and published earlier this month concluded that county schools were not getting as much money as those in neighbouring counties.

Economists David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald said that the county is discriminated against by the Govern-ment and should qualify for an extra £10m grant.

They said that the money ought to be given as part of the Area Cost Adjustment, which is designed to help authorities recruit staff where the cost of living is above average.

Sir Michael said he thought it was time the Government took action to make up the differences.

He said: "No system of taxation or public spending, which is as fundamentally flawed and unfair as this one, is acceptable. Why should children in schools in my constituency of West Worcestershire be treated differently from those living in other similar parts of the country?

"I will continue to fight this matter in Parliament until a fairer system of allocating money for education is put in place."