SCHOOL staff are being urged to blow the whistle on any financial malpractice which they might discover.

Lancashire County Council is planning to set up a confidential hotline for staff working in schools which have control over their own budgets.

The recent Nolan Committee report on standards in public life recommended that school governing bodies set up ways for dealing confidentially with any allegations of financial wrongdoing.

Members of the Education and Young People Executive Committee were told: "An effective system for the raising of concerns should include respect for confidentiality, an opportunity to raise concerns outside the line management structure, and an indication of the proper way in which concerns may be raised outside the organisation if necessary."

The county council's whistleblowing policy encourages workers to keep the serious concerns they have within the council, rather than taking it outside, and to ring a confidential helpline.

"Employees are often the first to realise that there may be something wrong within the council. However, they may not express their concerns because they feel that speaking up would be disloyal to their colleagues or the council," officers said.

The council says it recognises that the decision to report a concern can be a difficult one.

But school employees will be reassured: "If what you are saying is true, you should have nothing to fear because you will be doing your duty to your employer and those for whom you are providing a service."