AN MP today said he was hopeful of extra money for Lancashire schools after a showdown meeting in Whitehall.

Hyndburn Labour MP Greg Pope and two Accrington head teachers met Education Secretary Charles Clarke yesterday to discuss the effects of the national schools cash crisis.

He was the latest local MP to take up the financial crisis in education with the government.

East Lancashire seems to have avoided major teacher redundancies as a result of the cash squeeze caused by not enough money being allocated nationwide to cover pay and pension increases and extra national insurance contributions.

In addition, Lancashire education chiefs believe they have been historically under-funded compared to other authorities.

But after Mr Pope met Mr Clarke, along with Frank Havard, head of Hollins Technology College, and Alasdair Coates, head of St Christopher's High School, he was optimistic there would be extra money next year.

The MP said: "I think we all felt that the meeting with Mr Clarke was very helpful. I am now very hopeful that when the education allocations are made next year, there will be no repeat of this year's problem"

A spokesman for Mr Clarke said: "These concerns will be fed into the current process of bringing stability to education funding."