MP Sir Peter Luff has commented on what he calls the ‘running sore’ of underfunded schools in Worcestershire.

The MP was speaking at the mid Worcestershire Conservative Association annual general meeting, when he said: “Schools in Worcestershire have been underfunded for too long because of a random and unfair funding system that successive Governments have used to allocate money to schools. It has been a running sore locally for decades.”

Sir Peter pointed out that he had been campaigning for a change to the funding system since 1990 when he was first selected as a candidate.

He added: “Yesterday’s news that the Government will give extra cash to the least well funded areas, including five million pounds for schools in Worcestershire, proves the power of political perseverance.”

Sir Peter’s speech came after David Laws MP, the minister of state for schools announced that the Government will deliver the extra money to schools in Worcestershire in April 2015, for the 2015/16 financial year, and will come from the protected schools budget without any local authority having to introduce cuts on its pupil premium budgets.

Sir Peter added: “This isn’t enough to sort out the problem entirely, but it’s a great start. It will be the first time in a quarter of a century that funding has not got relatively worse for Worcestershire schools.

“Despite this unfair funding, Worcestershire’s schools have done remarkably well recently in the league tables and pupils in the country are achieving excellent results. Just think what the schools could do with more money.”