New school investment is discussed

INVESTMENT for the new £7.2m primary school in Cwmaman could be agreed by Rhondda Cynon Taff council today.

The local authority’s councillors will meet on Wednesday, January 11, to discuss whether or not to approve an investment for the new community school serving the Cynon Valley village.

They could approve a capital investment of just over £7.2m, with half – a little over £3.6m – funded by the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme.

RCT’s half would come from council borrowing.

The state-of-the-art new building – which will be built at the village’s old colliery site at Glanaman Road – will replace Glynhafod Junior and Cwmaman Infant schools in August 2018.

In December, it was announced that building works could begin in March.

A report before Wednesday’s meeting by Chris Lee, RCT’s group director for corporate and frontline services, recommends that full council agrees to the investment.

It adds: “This proposal to create a community primary school for Cwmaman will realise an- nual revenue savings of £0.162m.

“The Welsh Government 21st Century Schools Programme will fund 50% of the total cost of £7.242m, with the council borrowing the balance of £3.621m using the Prudential Code to fund its share of the capital expenditure cost.

“There would be an annual revenue cost estimated at £0.179m per year for 40 years with these costs being funded from the revenue savings accrued from this and other recent school closures and amalgamations.”

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