A SENIOR councillor is calling on the Government to meet its responsibilities to properly fund education.

Councillor Ian Jeffrey, lead member for life-long learning with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, was reacting to news that the Government plans to scrap education action zones (EAZs), which were set up in deprived areas to find "innovative'' solutions with the help of the business sector.

A number of schemes were established across the North-East but education watchdog Ofsted has said EAZs have "not often been test beds for genuinely innovative action".

The National Audit Office found that some of the earliest zones spent large amounts of taxpayers' money without proper financial controls.

Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers, said: "Once again a measure of privatisation which sounded fine in theory to some has failed in practice.''

Coun Jeffrey said he identified with Mr de Gruchy's verdict.

He said: "On the balance of the information they have got, they clearly don't think its worth continuing in its present form.

"I think it is reasonable of the state to adequately fund education and that should be controlled by the elected representatives of the people.

"I think if the private sector wants to make a contribution they should be able to but I don't think we should be in the business of being dependent on them. We should be in partnerships with everyone but the responsibility for education lies with the state.''

Budgets permitting, EAZs will continue to receive extra money but are to be merged with the Excellence in Cities programme.

Edmund Smith, head of research and policy with Sunderland local education authority, said merging the two programmes would not cause any problems