Your correspondent David Evans (Standard, Letters, May 3 "MP too slow to see damage cuts cause") (Gazette, Letters, May 2, "Will has woken up to schools crisis") detailed many of the problems schools are facing as a result of funding issues and I agree with his sentiments – we all want our children to have the best possible education

In analysing the effects of restrictions to school budgets, Mr Evans states austerity is the cause.

I disagree: austerity is a symptom and the real cause is the overspending by different governments over many years that has left us with debt and the interest on it.

A quick look at Government spending data shows interest on Government debt is about £40 billion, the fifth highest area of expenditure, mid-way between defence and police/public order. Education is third highest at about £100 billion.

If we spend more on education, what about the NHS, the police and everything else?

There are no easy answers, of course, even though the problems of overspending and debt seem to be coming under control.

To commit additional funding to education and other deserving departments, perhaps we could all make a start by being vigilant and critical about the more wasteful spending plans of local governments, with less being spent on white/red elephants, rebranding Colchester and funding speculation in property and "garden community" schemes.

Noel Mead

Coggeshall