HOW could this have happened? The Government gives councils more cash for education. Bexley's new Labour administration passes all the money on.

But it is still not enough.

The Government recognises it is not Bexley's fault and gives the borough's schools another £1.5m and now we learn it is still not enough.

Even the council admits some schools are not going to have enough money to do the things they need to come September.

But Bexley has given them all the money it has got for education. With just £7.5m, the council's reserves are almost rock-bottom and, with only £3m in its contingency fund to pay for things such as the Belvedere incinerator inquiry, it has hardly any spare cash to give the schools.

So what is to be done?

One suggestion already made is that some of the Government's extra cash is still sitting somewhere in its coffers and has not been paid out due to some administrative oversight.

Whatever the explanation, something has got to be done.

Schools have to balance their budgets by law. If they haven't got enough money, they have to make cuts. It surely cannot be right that the result of getting extra funds this year, is the possibility of redundancies in our schools. We should all be demanding answers.

LINDA PIPER