Surrey County Council says it is unable to accommodate pupils switching from fee paying schools as a result of Labour’s VAT levy on school fees from next month, Business Matters has reported.

Responding to a Freedom of Information request, the council stated it has no vacancies for Year 9, 10, and 11 pupils, and only limited spaces in younger year groups.

Estimates suggest that around 2,400 formerly privately educated Surrey schoolchildren will require state school places as a result of the fee increases.

The problem is being caused by the UK’s regional imbalance. In Surrey, almost one in five pupils are independently educated which is much higher than the national average of 6%.