Local schools won’t be paying back savings

26/07/2019 @ 09:43

Sixteen headteachers can relax for the summer holidays after being told they will not have to pay extra cash they have in their account back to Powys County Council (PCC).

Back in June, PCC’s Cabinet agreed that the education portfolio holder, Cllr Myfanwy Alexander is allowed to make the decision on whether to ask for the money back or not.

The schools under the spotlight, including Guilsfield, Buttington Trewern, Llanfair Caereinion (county primary), Montgomery and Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School, were asked for reasons why they have a surplus, and what they were planning to do with the money.

PCC’s school finances scheme says that primary schools need to have more than £50,000 extra to be subject to the process called “clawback”.

Secondary and special schools need to have more than £100,000 to be subject to paying the money back to the authority. This money would then go back into the general education funding pot.

Schools finance business partner, Nancy Owen, said: “All schools have submitted reasons for the surplus being in excess of the balance in the June 2018 cabinet report.

“This has been accepted by Schools Service Senior Management and therefore clawback should not be applied.”

The report adds that the Schools Service Management Team “are content” with the reasons set out in the schools responses.

They believe that the schools under question “are demonstrating appropriate use of the surplus in future years and therefore clawback should not be applied”.

The report explains that the reasons given by the schools and their projected financial position for 2018/19, is being kept confidential.

The schools under question are:

Builth Wells (county primary)

Buttington Trewern

Guilsfield

Knighton

Llanfair Caereinion (county primary)

Llanidloes

Montgomery

Mount St CP Junior (Brecon)

Treowen (Newtown)

Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School