Labour councillors speak out about shortage of primary school places in Hove

The shortage of primary school places in the areas where young families live is a “ticking time bomb”, according to two new Labour councillors.

The pair – Alan Robins and Anne Pissaridou – intend to raise the issue with the ruling Green group at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting this month.

Councillor Robins, who represents South Portslade, hopes to ask the Greens what they plan to do about the shortage of junior school places in the area from 2013.

He said that no proper plans had been put in place.

He said: “If the council doesn’t act to provide more locally available junior school places soon then parents will have to travel as far as Mile Oak to send their kids to school.

“If they’ve got two kids, with one going to an infant school in South Portslade and one junior child attending Mile Oak, then it’ll be a nightmare to drop their kids off and pick them up on time.”

Councillor Pissaridou, who represents Wish, said that the Greens needed to clarify the provision for primary school children in West Hove.

She said that they will either have to travel to Portslade or be taught in temporary classrooms at the Connaught Centre in Hove.

And, she said, they had no clarity about where they would go to junior school, adding: “This is leading to unacceptable uncertainty and a lack of choice for children and parents.”

She said: “For too long we have only seen sticking-plaster solutions to address the chronic shortage of primary cchool places in Hove and Portslade.

“That’s why we want to make the Green council aware of this ticking time bomb as soon as possible to get some action on a proper new primary school for Hove.”