A group of Conservative councillors spoke out against their own council at a committee meeting last month over plans to change the admissions criteria at a primary school.

Shaftesbury councillors Guy Senior, Jonathan Cook and James Cousins addressed the Education and Children Services committee meeting on January 12, telling them of their concerns over proposed changes to admissions criteria at Belleville Primary School, Battersea.

Although councillors Senior and Cousins were not permitted to vote in the recommendations, a vote to uphold an amendment made by Councillor Cook was approved by committee members and will go to the council cabinet before any further decisions are made.

During the meeting councillor Cousins said: “The scheme is just plain wrong. If the council was trying to annoy the residents of Shaftesbury, then it couldn’t have done much more.”

The issues surrounding the school began when it was proposed to extend Belleville Primary to a second site at Forthbridge Road, Battersea.

Problems arose when a proposal to change admissions policy and create two priority areas around the school grounds of the current Belleville School site which would give pupils living there priority admission to the school.

But this would mean the new priority area would exclude children who live next to the Forthbridge Road site from getting priority admission to the school.

Councillor Senior said: “The problem is, it doesn’t make sense to allow those living further away to have priority than those living across the road. We have to give priority to local people.”

The amendment proposed that other admissions solutions should be looked at so that families near the school will be ensured access to the school and a solution that better addresses the concerns of local parents, governors and residents.

Although a December consultation into the changes voted in favour of the council plans, the recommendation by the committee may put the process of changing admissions back to 2013.

During the meeting, the public gallery was packed out with parents, governors and supporters from Belleville School and many were vocal during the evening, demonstrating their disapproval at the council’s plans.