MINISTERS have been warned of growing "disquiet" in Worcestershire over funding inequalities.

Worcester MP Michael Foster said the criteria for awarding Area Cost Adjustment to local authorities was unfair on Worcestershire.

He went on to urge the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to consider the findings last year of a report by Blanchflower and Oswald which detailed the injustice suffered by the county.

"The Government has not yet dealt with this, and it is causing much disquiet among my constituents," he told the Commons.

Mr Foster said the inconsistency of ACA calculations meant that Worcestershire missed out on extra cash which is awarded to neighbouring councils such as Warwickshire, Dudley, Birmingham and Gloucestershire.

ODPM Minister Phil Hope said a "formula freeze" prevented immediate action, but said Mr Foster's argument would be taken into account when changes occur.

"We are not making any changes to the way in which we calculate the Area Cost Adjustment during this formula freeze, but we will listen carefully to Mr Foster's representations, and those from other MPs, about the ACA in the future," he said.

After the debate, Mr Foster said he was heartened by the Minister's response. "I was delighted to hear from the Minister that he would be looking again at this matter."

Mr Foster's demands during a Commons debate are the latest in an epic struggle by Worcestershire's MPs to secure fairer funding for the county.

He said: "I am always willing to challenge Whitehall on this issue - they are wrong on this and I believe I am right.

"If the rules can be changed, based on this year's data, it could see each school getting an extra £50 per pupil - so for a typical secondary school in Worcester, it works out around £60,000 a year."

Figures obtained by Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff this week reveal that Worcestershire schools have seen funding per pupil rise by 24.6 per cent from £2,760 in 1997/8 to £3,440 in 2004/5.

Over the same time, the average shire county school has had a 29.9 per cent increase, from £2,780 to £3,610.