PHILIP Dunne, MP for Ludlow, has welcomed the latest proposals in delivering fairer school funding, as the government begins the second stage of consultation on a new national funding formula.

The new formula aims to address the wide discrepancy between rural and urban areas in per-pupil funding.

A first stage of the consultation concluded in April this year and set out the principles, building blocks and factors for the national funding formulae.

The second stage of consultation sets out relative weighting for funding, and proposals for high needs funding for the most deprived areas.

Current proposals would mean an increase of £660,000 for schools in the Ludlow constituency - a six per cent average increase for local schools.

"This is something I have campaigned for since being first elected, so this step forward is generally good news for south Shropshire,” said Philip Dunne.

“If the new national funding formula were implemented today, as the proposals currently stand, schools in the Ludlow constituency would receive an extra £660,000 - which works out as a six per cent average funding increase for schools here.

“Some small primary schools, like Morville and Stiperstones primaries, would receive an almost 30 per cent increase in funding, helping to secure their future, while some others would see a small reduction in funding.

“So each school in the Ludlow constituency will need to consider carefully the impact of these changes, and have their say in the second stage of the consultation before it closes on March 22 and a final decision is made in the summer."