David Ruffley MP has today voiced his dismay at the fact that Suffolk receives the lowest funding per pupil of all the counties in the East of England.

The figures were revealed in answer to David Ruffley's questioning of Jim Knight, Minister of State at the Department for Education and Skills.

In the 2006-07 academic year the funding per pupil for counties in the East of England is as follows:

Bedfordshire £3407

Cambridgeshire £3407

Essex £3524

Hertfordshire £3507

Norfolk £3423

Suffolk £3372

Last month David revealed figures that showed the number of teachers in Suffolk schools had fallen for the third consecutive year.

David said:

'These new House of Commons figures quite clearly show that this Government is, once again, short-changing the residents of Suffolk.

'Last month I revealed figures that showed the number of teachers in Suffolk has fallen for three years in a row and now these new figures reveal yet another blow to Suffolk's education system.

'It seems quite ridiculous to me that all the other counties in the East of England receive a higher level of funding for their schools.

'We see it in the funding of our NHS, in rural Post Office closures and now in our county's classrooms. This Government seems determined to erode the quality of life of people in rural communities such as Suffolk.

'The people of this county have had enough of being short-changed by a Government increasingly distant from their needs and concerns. It must stop and it must stop now.'