FAILING to address the need for school places could result in a “crisis” and stop families moving to the area, an opposition councillor has claimed.

Redbridge Council rejected a motion to create an extra 100 primary school places in South Woodford at a meeting last Thursday (May 19), claiming it would “not be a good use of resources”.

But after the council announced its plans to create 210 extra places at Gearies Primary School in Ilford today (May 25), South Woodford councillors have reinforced their concerns.

Cllr Gwyneth Deakins, of Roding ward, said: “I don’t begrudge the school in Ilford, because if they need expanding they need expanding.

“But we need more school places where we are too – the contrast in attitudes to education provision on our side of the borough and theirs is quite astounding.

“Saying there is not a problem is a misuse of statistics and extremely complacent.

“They are not going to do anything until a real crisis happens and families stop moving to the area because there are no schools for their kids.”

Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors in South Woodford maintain that the council's plans to build hundreds more homes in the area with no extra school places to accompany them are “not good enough”.

But cabinet member for children and young people Cllr Elaine Norman disagrees, saying 93.86 per cent of families got one of their top three schools this year.

Talking about the need for school places in Ilford, she said: “More and more parents want their children to be educated in Redbridge.

“We also have a growing population and sensible measures like these are vital to ensuring we can continue to offer our high levels of education to young people in the borough.”

Cllr Deakins said: “I was shocked and disgusted that our motion was rejected last week, and we will keep raising this question until something is done.”

If plans are approved by cabinet, Gearies Primary could have an extra 30 places in each year group by September 2017.

They will be discussed at a children and young people service committee meeting next week.