How can Labour respond to the rapid rise and popularity of free schools?

As the new school year begins, the Department for Education has announced 93 new free schools are opening — more than double opened last September — creating 46,000 new places. With a total of 174 free schools now open, the evidence suggests Michael Gove’s free school programme is taking off. This is how many have opened since the election:

But though free schools are flourishing, there’s still a squeeze underway.  The Local Government Association today warns that half of the school districts in England will run out of places within two years due to ‘unnecessary restrictions’ on councils:

‘Its analysis of local authority data suggests about 1,000 of the 2,277 local school planning districts will be over capacity by 2015-16…the greatest pressure is focussed on about 99 districts, where 20% more pupils are predicted than places will be available.’

The Education Secretary denies he is the one to blame. On BBC Breakfast this morning, Gove explained how the government is working hard to rectify the problem, and placed the blame squarely on Labour for years of inactivity: