A written parliamentary answer published in the House of Commons has exposed the shocking deal that schools in Suffolk have received from this Government.

The figures released by the Minister of State for Schools, Mr Miliband, show that shire counties such as Suffolk have been dealt with extremely poorly by this urban centred Labour Government. The figures clearly demonstrate that funding increases over the past seven years have favoured urban areas over rural areas, in particular shire counties.

Mr Ruffley said:

'These figures are an absolute disgrace. It shows our Suffolk schools are being shortchanged. FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS IN SUFFOLK IS NOW WELL BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF £3,600 AT ONLY £3,180 PER PUPIL. During Labour's seven years in Government Suffolk schools have only seen their funding increase by £630. This compares to metropolitan areas, such as Salford, that have seen their funding increase by over £1,100. Other urban areas, such as Middlesborough have also seen their funding soar by over 40%, which means their per pupil funding is £640 more than that in Suffolk.'