CONSERVATIVE politicians are pressing the government to help avert an education funding timebomb after it emerged a council needed an extra £21 million to provide school places for soaring numbers of pupils.

Education minister Nick Gibb said he would hold talks with North Yorkshire Tories who said government funding changes had left them struggling to find sufficient money to enable thousands more pupils to attend primary schools after 2017.

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake told the House of Commons the money was needed immediately, to ensure quality teaching in good sized classes in the county and to help reassure parents their children would be able to get into the best local school.

The Tory-run county council said while its schools would have sufficient places for the next few years, after that time government funding to build new classrooms and schools had suddenly dropped from an annual average £20 million to £1 million, while ten per cent more places were needed.

Without extra funding, the authority, which has a statutory duty to provide school places, would face further pressure on its budget, which it is part-way through cutting by £167 million.

The county's education boss, Councillor Arthur Barker, said large-scale housing developments in Sowerby and Northallerton and increasing numbers of soldiers being based at Catterick Garrison meant the anticipated shortfall of places at primary schools in the county was set to rise from 1,102 this year to 2,305 in two years' time.

The situation is being aggravated by demand for school places becoming more polarised, with acute shortages in market towns and densely populated areas of the county, while village schools will face declining pupil numbers.

Further funding will be needed in several years' time to finance to increase secondary school places in the county.

Cllr Barker said the authority was also struggling to finance the building work, which needs to be planned years in advance, as the government had changed a system where housing developers contributed funding for school building schemes, enabling a wider range of projects to take the money.

He called on the government to consider match-funding the building work with the council.

Responding initially to the calls, Mr Gibb said the government was encouraging local authorities to negotiate significant developer contributions for new school places and North Yorkshire County Council to encourage more free school applications.