The school funding crisis in Oxfordshire could have been avoided if councils had more power over their budgets, according to education managers.

The blame for teacher redundancies and funding cuts at schools throughout the county has been laid at the Government's door by representatives of Oxfordshire County Council.

But teaching union representatives say giving councils more influence would make matters even worse.

Tony Crabbe, executive member for schools, said: "We would have a lot more flexibility with local management, because we have to allocate money increasingly to a Government formula.

"The problem is money comes to us from several sources, but it would be better it we had the money to spend as we see fit."

Matt Bowmer, head of education finance at Oxfordshire County Council, said: "The system is becoming more and more complicated. The problem is with the balance between local democracy and central control.

"The problems arise when the Government expects us to put more money into schools, but doesn't take into account local circumstances, like social and health care in Oxfordshire.

"There's no clear rationale for having a central funding framework."

The Local Government Association also wants councils to have more power.

But Mark Forder, Oxfordshire secretary for the National Union of Teachers, said: "The present funding crisis is caused by politicians, both local and national. Local politicians would like us to believe they'd do it better.

"At the moment there's no reason to believe they are any more competent. We're not very impressed with their past record.

"The part of the funding that they control, they've voted very little this year to education."

Clive Hallett, the secretary of the Oxfordshire branch of the National Association of Headteachers, and the head of Wheatley Primary School, said: "I'd like to see local government taken completely out of education spending and get back to the grant maintained system that the Tories introduced.

"We shouldn't have to depend on the wills and whims of whichever political party is in power.

"I'd like to see a system where we have national funding, with additional funding for high cost areas or large numbers of special needs pupils."