A BID to create more primary school places has been quashed after councillors dismissed claims there are any major problems with school admissions.

A motion committing Redbridge Council to providing 100 extra school places in South Woodford over the next two years was rejected at its full council meeting at the town hall on Thursday (May 19).

In a close call with 24 votes for and 32 against, councillors in favour of the motion argued South Woodford parents are having to send their children to schools as far as Barkingside for lack of places close by.

They claimed this means siblings are being split up and more people are driving their children to school, which is adding to the area’s already worrying pollution problem.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Gwyneth Deakins, of Roding ward, said: “Until the recent by-election, I had not heard anything from the other parties on the issue of primary school places in South Woodford.

“But the problem has been well known in the area for quite some time.

“Having seen the latest version of our local development plan, there could be as many as 700 new homes built, and yet there is nothing in those plans about education provision.

“I want action and not complacency on this issue.”

She added that Government plans to take decision making powers away from local authorities and hand them over to academy chains are “no excuse” for no action.

But cabinet member for children and young people Cllr Elaine Norman rejected the idea there is a problem with primary school admissions in Roding and Church End.

She said: “There were no significant issues last year - almost all parents got their children into one of their top three choices, that’s 93.86 per cent.

“Our budget proposals commit £88 million to school provision, so to say we are working without a sense of urgency is just plain incorrect.

“We will create more school places if there is a need for it, but what this motion is proposing is not a good use of our resources.”

But Conservative councillors for Church End Cllr Tom McLaren and Cllr Emma Best maintained only one primary school in their ward is not enough.

“I regularly speak to people concerned about how they are going to get their children into primary school.

“And this is not just about children coming into Reception either, there are people moving to South Woodford with children of all ages who need primary school places for them.

“We really need to take this issue seriously across the board.”