Call for review of funding decisions

Two Plaid Cymru members of Carmarthenshire County Council have written to all members of the Council’s Executive Board urging them to abide by promises previously given about the funding of a school. Ysgol Carreg Hirfaen, which is dispersed over three sites at Cwm-ann, Ffarmers and Llanycrwys, has been left with little choice but to propose closure of two of the sites following the county council’s decision to over-ride promises given previously. The letter has been sent by Cllrs Eirwyn Williams and Fiona Hughes.

Cllr Eirwyn Williams, whose ward covers both Ffarmers and Llanycrwys, said, “When the schools were federated in 2000, the National Assembly gave a clear commitment that the school would continue to be treated as three schools for the purposes of the funding formula. Had it not been for this clear promise, the governing bodies would never have agreed to form the federation, since it was clear that the funding would be inadequate.

“Further, the county council decided to protect the salaries of the headteachers, and committed to funding that additional cost. The recent changes to the way the county council funds schools are effectively tearing up the promises given, and we are therefore calling on the Executive Board to reverse its decisions”

Cllr Williams added, “The Council has a policy of reducing the numbers of children taught in temporary accommodation. Yet, the result of their decisions in this case will be to close two permanent buildings and move the children into temporary buildings at the site of the third school. This is directly contrary to the council’s own policy, and is surely a good reason for making an exception to the new funding rules. The children should be allowed to continue to study in their current buildings.”