The need for another secondary school in Brighton and Hove is quickly becoming the need for oxygen to live, and finally there seems to be some movement.

But for some, this may not be a jubilant celebration because even if this school gets approved – it will be a free school.

King’s School, the city’s only free secondary school as it stands, has not been as popular as perhaps initially hoped.

There are only 100 pupils set to be allocated spaces there in September 2016 compared to the 300 plus for the city’s council-run state schools.

It’s no secret that the city’s state schools are the most popular and, on the whole, best performing.

Hove Park, Blatchington Mill, Cardinal Newman and Dorothy Stringer are at capacity for a reason – because parents want to send their children there.

The city’s objection to academies – as illustrated by the opposition to the Hove Park attempted conversion – has been stretched to cover free schools too.

The fear of non-accountability seems to rattle Brighton and Hove’s mothers and fathers, and this is shown by the under-subscribed Brighton and Portslade Aldridge Community Academies.

Brighton and Hove needs a new secondary school, but the majority of parents will want it to be council-led.