Welshpool councillor blasts cabinet following school closure

Additional reporting from Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

A Welshpool county councillor has slammed the Powys County Council cabinet no-shows for a meeting that decided the fate of a local primary school this morning.

Cabinet members voted unanimously to close the smallest school in the county - Ysgol Bro Cynllaith in Llansilin – but Cllr Graham Breeze said he was “extremely disappointed” that several weren’t at the meeting.

The school only has 25 pupils who are now expected to learn at Ysgol Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant instead, but fears have been raised throughout the process that children will leave Powys and attend primary schools in and around Oswestry, which is much closer to the village.

And while the closure was expected, Cllr Breeze was not happy that so few were present at the meeting, and claimed that it included just one from the whole of North Powys.

“(I am) Extremely disappointed that around half of Powys County Council's Cabinet were missing this morning to vote on a very important decision to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith (Llansilin) with the Deputy Leader even having to question if the meeting was quorate,” said Cllr Breeze.

“With only one member of the Cabinet based in North Powys I doubt whether many Cabinet members even know where Llansilin is.

“When difficult decisions like this have to be made it is important that the ruling Cabinet treat the matter with the respect it deserves. That did not happen today when those present voted unanimously to close the school.”

At the meeting, Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Peter Roberts, explained that receiving the objections report is the “final stage” in the process of closing the school.

Director of Education, Dr Richard Jones, explained that the proposal had received 20 objections during the period.

Dr Jones said: “Having considered the objections received it is recommended that the council proceeds with the implementation of the proposal to close Ysgol Bro Cynllaith from August 31 as outlined in the statutory notice.

“It is recognised that the decision to proceed with the closure at the end of this term only provides a month’s notice to the school community of this decision.

“It is the council’s view that a transfer at the end of this summer term is preferable to pupils that are moving to a new school so they can move at the start of a new fresh academic year.”

Cabinet Member for Legal and Statutory Services, Welshpool’s Cllr Richard Church (Liberal Democrat) brought up the issue of losing pupils over the border into Shropshire and the Oswestry area.

He questioned whether it “would be right” to make an exception to keep small schools open because they are “next to or close” to a border either with England or another local authority in Wales.

Cllr Church said: “Closing rural schools is difficult and unpopular. But we have to accept that a school with only 25 pupils is not going to offer the range of education that we expect our young people to receive in our day and age.

“I don’t believe it is sustainable to continue operating schools of this size, we can’t make exceptions. I believe we will be making the right decision to proceed with the closure of this school.”

Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Service and the Welsh Language, Cllr Sandra Davies (Labour), pointed out that she had campaigned vigorously against school closures in the Ystradgynlais area in the recent past. But she now saw things differently.

Cllr Davies said: “Having bigger schools does enhance children as individuals, they do thrive and they are given more opportunities to grow.”

Cllr Roberts added: “Regretfully the objections do not override the reasons for transition.

“We have met the terms of the schools’ organisation code.”

Councillors then went on to vote unanimously to proceed with the school closure.