EDUCATION chiefs have firmly rejected allegations from Worcester MP Mike Foster that they have discriminated against Catholic schools when allocating funding.

Mr Foster accused Worcestershire County Council of religious discrimination, after obtaining figures showing that Catholic schools had not received any 106 section funding in the last five years. The 106 section money is given to the council by developers, as part of the planning permission system, to make-up for any adverse impact their development may have on local facilities.

Since 2004, the council has spent £1.8m of such money on schools in Worcestershire – including £117, 935 at Cherry Orchard Primary School in Worcester and £185, 076 at Droitwich Spa High. But the list, which has been given to your Worcester News, does not include any of the county’s 17 Catholic schools.

The council says this is a coincidence and points out only 30 of its 226 schools have received 106 section cash. Councillor Liz Eyre, cabinet member for children and young people (12 to 19-year-olds) said she was unsure how Mr Foster had come to his conclusion, saying the nature of the development and its effects determined which local school got the cash.

“His allegation is very serious but I haven’t found any foundation to it myself,” she said. “The schools drive what needs to be done.”

Mr Foster pointed out that some Church of England schools had benefited from the money. He said “Either there is blatant religious discrimination being undertaken by the county council, or there is a very unlikely coincidence. What has the county council got against these schools?”

Worcestershire County Council said it had funded a £1.5m new sports hall at Hagley Catholic High School in April 2008, which proved it did not discriminate against Catholic schools.