DEADLOCK ON SCHOOL FUTURE
Yet more delays over primary earmarked for closure:
A COUNCIL scrutiny committee remained deadlocked over plans to shut an Anglesey primary school – failing to make a recommendation after strong arguments on both sides.
Ysgol Talwrn currently has 43 pupils on the books – close to its capacity of 49 – but officers recommended that it should shut and have its pupils moved 1.8 miles to an extended Ysgol y Graig in Llangefni.
A decision on closing the school was expected in March, but was delayed at the eleventh hour to allow for a third consultation – blamed on an administrative technicality.
According to officers, this was necessary as the consultation report had not been published within 13 weeks of the previous consultation coming to an end.
However, members of the authority’s Corporate Scrutiny Committee remained split over the proposals, failing to make a recommendation either way.
The council’s proposals include shutting Ysgol Talwrn and transferring its pupils to Llangefni’s Ysgol y Graig, where a new £4.8m block would be built to accommodate the extra pupils. A recent report found that, by 2024, Ysgol y Graig will need room for 435 pupils, despite already reaching its capacity of 330.
Portfolio holder, Cllr Meirion Jones, pointed out to the budget cuts the council has faced – comparing to the expenditure the UK Government plans to spend on projects such as HS2 and Trident.
He added that the council has tried to protect the education budget for as long as it can but “this is no longer possible.”
“No one wants to close a school but we have to shoulder our responsibilities in a sensible way,” he added.
“Doing nothing option.”
But Siwan Matthias, on behalf of the community in y Talwrn, said: “We fear that shutting the school and sending out pupils is not an to a huge school will deprive them of their heritage.
“Our voices have been ignored we fear. We know what’s best for our children.”
Mr Islwyn Humphreys from the Ysgol Talwrn Board of Governors, added: “This a comprehensive but biased report in my view.
“I feel that during the process, there’s an element of bullying to get the intended result.
“Officers did not listen to the past recommendations.”
Deputy chief executive, Annwen Morgan, conceded that money was a factor, but added: “We all have to consider what’s ahead over the next decade. The situation is not sustainable and we’d be irresponsible to ignore the financial implications.”
Responding to earlier criticism, chief executive Dr Gwynne Jones, concluded: “Ysgol y Graig is a large school in comparison to Anglesey, but in a Wales-wide context it is not. We are listening to feedback and have read every single piece of correspondence.
“I’m disappointed that a comment has been made that the report is biased in any way.”
But when the vote was put to members, councillors were split between the officers’ recommendation and an alternative proposal by Cllr Lewis Davies that Ysgol Talwrn should be kept open, fearing that more proposed homes in Llangefni would result in further capacity issues at Ysgol y Graig.
A decision over the future of the school will be made by the Council Executive when it meets on July 16.