Public consultation confirmed for controversial school closure plans

Bruce Sinclair, local democracy reporter

The future of four schools will go out to public consultation following a lengthy and heated meeting where allegations officers had “lied” in their reports were strongly denied.

Ceredigion Cabinet members, meeting on 3 September were recommended to back the commencement of statutory consultations for the closure of Ysgol Craig yr Wylfa, Borth, Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, Ysgol Llangwyryfon, near Aberystwyth, and Ponterwyd’s Ysgol Syr John Rhys from August 31 next year.

Following consultations, the final decision to close any school would then be undertaken by full council.

Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith has said that if the Cabinet votes for such a consultation, they would immediately submit a complaint to the Minister for Education, saying that the council is not fulfilling its educational duties and is going against the School Organisation Code.

Heated

During the lengthy – and at times heated – debate at Penmorfa, Aberaeron, allegations were mentioned that officers had included misleading information in their reports on the schools, leader Cllr Bryan Davies telling members “quite serious allegations have been presented,” adding: “The allegation is officers have lied; the decision is difficult to make for us as a Cabinet, if the allegation that what is put in the papers is not correct; we must know what is put in the papers is correct.”

This was denied by chief executive Eifion Evans, who said: “If any officer makes lies there would be a process to follow; it’s the duty of the officers to be entirely factual, if there is proof of that I want to see it on my desk,” adding: “Nobody has brought any information to my attention.”

He said there “was no advantage” for officers to push the decision in any particular direction, laying the blame for the potential closures partly at the “huge injustice” in central government funding for rural Welsh counties such as Ceredigion.

“All of us are fighting as much as we can to save the situation we are in; the enemy is the fact there is a lack of financial provision for rural Wales, this is a two-tier provision in funding for rural Wales.”

Core funding

He had told members Ceredigion had lost some £70m in core funding over the last 15 years as a result of austerity, with less funding to Cardiff then being transferred to less funding for Ceredigion, set against a backdrop of increasing demands on the council’s coffers.

Borth councillor Hugh Hughes referred to the “quite serious allegations as to the conduct of officers,” adding that the report “looked at pounds shillings and pence savings” rather than the effect on the community.

Some four hours into the meeting, members had agreed to back consultation at Ysgol Craig y Wyfla and were reaching the end of the debate on Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn when the veteran language campaigner for Cymdeithas yr Iaith, Ffred Ffransis was heard to utter outbursts from the public gallery, leading to the meeting being temporarily suspended.

Following that the debate continued for a total of eight hours, during which consultations for the other schools were eventually backed.

The changes in the fortunes of the four schools were detailed in individual reports for Cabinet members, some of which was the subject of the accusations, along with some debate about their validity.

Fall in pupil numbers

Ysgol Craig yr Wylfa has seen numbers decline from 42 in 2020, to 29 in 2024, with a forecast 22 pupils in 2019; the school having 44 surplus places (59 percent surplus), and the cost per pupil amounting to £7,640 against a Ceredigion average of £4,635.

It also lists are predicted school budget deficit for 2025 of £3,368.

Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn numbers in the report are: 30 (2020), 19 (2024), 19 (2029), with a 46 per cent surplus of 17, and a per pupil cost of £6,978, with a deficit of £27,488.

Ysgol Llangwyryfon: 46 (2020), 30 (2024), 22 (2029), with a 45 per cent surplus of 25, and a per pupil cost of £6,321, with a deficit of £23,916.

Ysgol Syr John Rhys: 25 (2020), 22 (2024), 19 (2029), with a 46 per cent surplus of 18, and a per pupil cost of £7,949.

The report says that Ysgol Syr John Rhys also has maintenance backlog costs of £77,500.

In the individual reports it is suggested Craig Yr Wylfa pupils could be moved to nearby Ysgol Talybont or the schools acting as one school on two sites; Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn and Ysgol Llangwyryfon either forming a partnership with Ysgol Llanilar, or all pupils could transfering to Llanilar; pupils from Ysgol John Rhys pupils transferring to another nearby school, or a federation formed.

Residents in the areas at risk of the potential school closures have questioned the projected pupil data, using Welsh Government figures, but have been told local data will form part of the consultation.