A COUNCIL has been slammed for holding back on education cash.

The Grant Maintained Schools Foundation says six North West councils, including Lancashire County Council, keep more than £1 in every £4 of education money back from schools.

The GMSF says its figures are supplied by councils themselves to the Department for Education and Employment.

It says Lancashire holds back 27 per cent of its general schools budget.

Andrew Turner, director of the foundation, said: "At a time when schools are crying out for more money it is astonishing that local councils are keeping back £1 for every £4 they give to schools.

"Every governing body ought to be looking at these figures and asking what do our pupils get from this level of town hall spending because every pound spent in the council administration is a pound that cannot be spent on books and teachers in the classroom."

The government allows councils discretion to hold back money to spend on such things as transport, interest on debts and early retirement of teachers.

The GMSF says the best councils in the country keep less than 20 per cent of the general schools budget for these purposes, giving the rest to schools to spend.

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said: "The figures released by the GMSF are totally misleading.

"Money held back is used for such things as capital expenditure, school meals and transport.

"The county council is not even allowed by law to delegate on some items of expenditure."

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