As the author of Unfair Funding published by the Centre for Policy Studies, I can confirm Michael McIntyre's claim that better financial management by the local education authority (LEA) could benefit York schools by many millions of pounds (Evening Press, December 14).

Coun Janet Looker's claim that York LEA delegates 84.7 per cent of its local schools budget directly to its schools is typical socialist 'spin', but grossly misleading.

Such a percentage can only be reached if central Government's devolved standards fund grants are included in the amount supposedly delegated by the LEA directly to its schools.

In York's case, the devolved standards fund grant for the financial year 2000-01 is just under £3.8 million.

However, as Coun Looker knows, these are irregular grants from central Government, which schools cannot rely on or use to plan ahead.

Head teachers often describe them as 'fragile' which, of course, they are.

If other LEAs, including Brent, Portsmouth, Southend and even rural Lincolnshire, can genuinely delegate between 80 and 85 per cent of their local schools budget directly to their schools after transitory devolved standards fund grants have been excluded from the calculation, why can't York?

Nick Seaton,

Chairman, Campaign for Real Education, Westlands Grove, York.