COUNTY Coun Alan Whittaker is quite right when he says that it is a disgrace that £51m remains unspent in Lancashire school reserves (LT, December 11).
What a pity that he does not also consider it a disgrace that all schools in Lancashire are going to have their budgets "top-sliced" in order to pay the profits of the Private Finance Initiative group that is funding the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project in Burnley.
What a pity that he has neither the wit nor the will to stand up to the Government's disgraceful ploy of forcing academy status on three schools in Lancashire.
How disgraceful that he has given in to the threat that there will be no more BSF projects in the county if these academies are not created.
May I also take this opportunity to remind County Coun Whittaker that he (as the relevant portfolio holder) and Lancashire County Council have the powers to claw back unspent monies from school budgets. To date the princely sum of £3,000 has been clawed back.
I can only assume one of two things. The first is that Lancashire County Council is not good at clawing back. The second is that the £51m doesn't really exist.
BOB ALLONBY, Fielding Lane, Oswaldtwistle.
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