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Suggestions that councils can now get tough on parents who cheat the schools admission system are wide of the mark, says Harrow LBC leader, David Ashton, who launched the debate in the first place. Once more, Harrow LBC has been at the centre of national debate over that most angst-ridden of parental concerns – getting their child a place at a good school. The report published on Monday last week by the schools adjudicator, Dr Ian Craig, was directly prompted by our decision to launch, and then withdraw, legal action against a parent over claims that she provided false details on a school application form. A day of media clamour in July led the education secretary to announce he wanted a report into how big the scale of school place fraud really was. I was interviewed by Dr Craig, together with our director of schools. Our view was – and remains – that we did not set out to be legal trailblazers. However, our action clearly touched a national nerve and exposed the fact that councils have no effective legal remedy against those who try to flout the rules on school application forms. Dr Craig's report proved ever more curious as Monday wore on. It said that clearly, school fraud was a problem. Something needed to be done through the courts, and parents should be warned via a media campaign that school place fraud amounted to theft. But, much like the famous 1980s burger advertising campaign, I quickly found myself wondering, ‘Where's the beef?' Dr Craig and education secretary, Ed Balls, agreed school place fraud was a problem, but that was about all they agreed. There was no detail on what legal sanctions were being looked at, or what provisions of law might be changed. As it stands, we now have to wait until next February, when Dr Craig reports again, to find out what powers may be granted to councils. What we have seen in the past week amounts to half a decision. It was satisfying to have the schools adjudicator and Mr Balls effectively vindicate our decision to take legal action. I went on Sky News and the BBC to repeat our view that Harrow LBC did not get up in the morning and decide to persecute parents for trying to do the best for their children. Our only wish was to protect the integrity of the schools admissions system. But, in the absence of concrete proposals in Monday's report, councils drift on with no real teeth to combat school place fraud. Authorities throughout the country will continue to face parental amnesia over addresses, physics-defying contortions to prove proximity to school gates, and an uncommon interest in short-term house rental. I looked for the beef in last week's report. All I found was thin gruel. Please sir, can we have some more? David Ashton is leader of Harrow LBC

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More heat than light

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