HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has joined local authorities from around the country in reacting angrily to government claims that money is being kept from schools.

Schools all over the country are suffering massive shortfalls in funding, leading to warnings of redundancies.

And secretary of state for education Charles Clarke last week accused councils of causing the problems by diverting money intended for education into other projects.

Speaking at the annual conference of the National Association of Schoolmasters / Union of Women Teachers (NAS/UWT), Mr Clarke claimed that figures showed millions of pounds meant for classrooms had been spent on capital building projects.

He threatened local education authorities (LEAs) with an overhaul of their role if matters did not improve.

But a spokesman for the county council which received the second lowest increase in funding of all local authorities earlier this year said: "Certainly as far as Hertfordshire goes, money has not been misspent.

"Hertfordshire County Council had to fill a £5.9million funding gap to protect our local schools."

Councillor Tanis Kent (Labour), who chairs the council's children schools and families scrutiny committee agreed.

She said: "I can't speak for other authorities, but in Hertfordshire we have given the schools all of the allocated money plus more.

"The reason we put the council tax up was primarily to safeguard the county's schools.

"My own view is that the Government underestimated the cost of teachers' wage rises."

Councillor Kent said she was hopeful that redundancies could be avoided in Hertfordshire this year, but expressed worry about next year.

The comments from Hertfordshire follow a similarly indignant response from the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents all county councils.

Chairman Sir Jeremy Beecham said: "Local councils continue to spend £100million more on schools than central government provision.

"Money is not being held back.

"All of it will be spent during the coming year, as agreed between local councils and local schools to meet local needs."