PARENTS were furious tonight after controversial plans to allocate secondary school places by catchment areas were given the go-ahead in a knife-edge vote.

Protesters at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting at Hove Town Hall accused councillors of destroying parental choice and damaging their children's futures.

Members of the council's children, families and school committee voted in favour of scrapping the existing admissions procedures for the city and starting with a new scheme from September 2008.

Parents labelled the vote, which was decided by the casting vote of Labour committee chairwoman Pat Hawkes, as a "stitch-up" and a "whitewash".

The decision only went through after an eleventh hour move by the council's Labour group to sack rebel councillor Juliet McCaffery from the committee at 3.15pm after she refused to give in to orders to vote for the scheme.

Her vote would have tipped the balance of the ten strong committee and would have seen the proposals thrown out.

Parents and councillors questioned the legality of the move to sack her.

Amanda Booth, one of the parents who packed the public gallery, said: "It was a white-wash, how can they sack someone at the last minute. It's outrageous.

"We live within walking distance of three schools but now my son is going to have to travel four miles to go to another one."

Parent Anthony Craggs, from Patcham, who has campaigned against the plans, said: "It is unbelievable what they have done. It is like a defeat snatched from the jaws of victory."

Preston Park councillor Kevin Allen said of the proposals: "I am not in the habit of quoting the Home Secretary, but on this occasion his favourite phrase is appropriate. This is not fit for purpose."

Hanover and Elm Grove councillor Joyce Edmond-Smith, who lead calls for the review two years ago, said: "I'm delighted a decision has finally been made. If they had not made this decision it would have been a dereliction of duty."

Despite the opposition, many parents were delighted with the news and cheered as the result was revealed.

All four Conservative committee members voted against the plans along with Independent Jayne Bennett. Green Richard Mallender voted for the proposals, along with the three existing Labour members and Coun Gill Mitchell, who was drafted in to replace Coun McCaffery.

They decided to: * - Introduce catchment areas to decide which children get places at the most popular schools. A map of the zones can be seen at www.theargus.co.uk * - Use a luck of the draw lottery to decide who gets the places if there are still more children applying than spaces at the schools.

* - Split Patcham High and Falmer High schools into two separate catchment zones instead of one combined area.

* - Include Coldean in the Patcham High catchment.

* - Leave Elm Grove in the catchment for Dorothy Stringer and Varndean school and not move it to the Falmer catchment.

Coun McCaffrey said she was disgusted by her party's actions.

She said: "It makes a mockery of democracy."

The admissions system which has been used for the past few years allows parents to specify their first three choices of schools and, at oversubscribed schools, gives priority to families the shortest walking distance away.

But because of the geography of the city children in several areas, including East Brighton, the seafront and central Hove, live so far from their nearest schools they have no chance of being given priority at any of them.

This means many youngsters have to travel across the city to attend schools miles from their homes.

The council said it devised the new catchment areas to ensure every child would be able to get into one of its nearest schools.

Parents have accused the council of not consulting with them properly, of concealing figures used in calculations and of separating communities from their traditional local schools.

The council said its consultations had been thorough and as open as possible.

Since it announced the proposals in October there has been debate over whether catchments were right for the city and if the boundaries were in the right places. Several changes were made to the boundaries last night.

The committee decided: * - The catchment for Portslade Community College would be extended to include all of the area north of the Brighton-Worthing railway line.

* - Prestonville would be in a catchment for Hove Park and Blatchington Mill and not move into the area for Dorothy Stringer and Varndean.

* - The area of the city centre west of West Street will be moved from the Dorothy Stringer/Varndean catchment to the Hove Park/Blatchington Mill zone.

* - Whitehawk should remain in the catchment for Longhill School, Rottingdean Coun Hawkes said she was satisfied the decisions taken were for the best of the city, in spite of the close voting.

Of what had happened with Coun McCaffery, she said: "It's a shame Juliet only saw a small proportion of her ward as more important than the whole city."

* What do you think? Call The Argus over the weekend with your reaction on 01273 544538. Or email letters@theargus.co.uk * The full council report can be viewed at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk