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BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Pembrokeshire deputy council leader survives no confidence vote
A deputy leader in a council has survived a vote of no confidence after a row about Welsh medium education in the Miller, deputy leader of Pembrokeshire council, previously said that parents "couldn't give a toss" if their children went to a Welsh-language school in a town in south-west councillors supported the motion by Independent group leader, Huw Murphy, with 28 voting against and 11 leader Jon Harvey accused Cllr Murphy of "political opportunism at its worse." Former council leader Jamie Adams said Miller gave the impression that he "knew better than everybody else" and called on him to apologise for the language used during the cabinet response, Miller said it was "sensible to collect data" about the school choices made by parents, adding that Murphy was creating also said Pembrokeshire had delivered the largest percentage growth in Welsh medium education of all the group leader Di Clements criticised the decision to hold the meeting in the first said the councillors would have been better off "finding ways of dealing with the huge financial black hole" rather than seeing who "has the biggest ego in the chamber." It comes after the Welsh government passed a major new bill to boost the number of pupils studying in Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill aims to close the gap in Welsh speaking ability among pupils from different Language Secretary Mark Drakeford described the bill as "historic" adding that schools do not currently get enough from the investment made to teach Welsh in English-medium bill aims to make progress towards the 2050 target of a million Welsh speakers by strengthening the role of the language in education.
Pembrokeshire Herald
16-05-2025
- General
- Pembrokeshire Herald
School leaders reject Welsh Conservatives' education proposals
THE EARLY stages of what could lead to the potential closure of Pembrokeshire schools including fire-ravaged Manorbier school has been backed by councillors. At the May meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a report of the School Modernisation Working Group. A report for members recommended a series of proposals including the Director of Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation with the St David's Diocese on proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, establishing the latter as a 3-11 Community School. It also recommended the Director of Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation on a proposal to discontinue Ysgol Clydau, along with a review of English and Welsh medium, primary and secondary provision in the Tenby cluster. Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space. Pupils and staff were successfully evacuated with no injuries, and a 'school from school' was set up in Jameston Village Hall, after a brief period of sanctuary at the nearby Buttyland caravan site. Manorbier has seen 'a 59.8 per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025, with no indication that this will be significantly reversed during the next 5-6 years,' the report said, adding: 'This decline cannot be attributed wholly to the fire which occurred in October 2022, with a 30.7 per cent decline from 2015 to 2022.' It added: 'The school's capacity is 86 but there has been an increasing level of surplus places at the school, reaching 74.4 per cent in 2025. The school has been in a position of having significant surplus places (>25 per cent) for at least seven years.' It said that most children living in the Manorbier school catchment attend other schools in the area, in 2024 only 15 children (18.5 per cent) living in the school's catchment attended Manorbier school. The capital cost of rebuilding Manorbier VC School is estimated to be £2.6 million. On Ysgol Clydau, the report said there has been a 34 per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025, with no indication that this will be significantly reversed during the next five-six years. Cilgerran Church in Wales VC School has seen a nine per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025. Leader Cllr Jon Harvey said, in the case of Manorbier, he wasn't yet convinced the authority 'was in full possession of the relevant data to make a decision,' reading out a letter from Sam Kurtz MS about the fears of potential closure. Independent group leader Cllr Huw Murphy, who later called for a deferral of any decision on Manorbier, saying: 'Two-and-a-half years after the fire we at Pembrokeshire County Council haven't covered ourselves in glory about this school and its catastrophic fire; numbers have reduced but there has to be a correlation. 'We all wanted Manorbier to be rebuilt, and the majority do now; we owe Manorbier a chance, we're being asked to make a decision on incomplete information.' Cllr Rhys Jordan, a neighbouring councillor to Manorbier, said the school had been 'caught in a bit of a political football on both sides,' adding: 'When that school burned down those children were placed in a safe place that's become a long-term fix. 'We need to get these young people into a proper educational environment; I can't support Cllr Murphy's amendment, it would be just kicking this down the road. I urge members to make a difficult decision today and support the recommendations.' Local member for Manorbier Cllr Phil Kidney in an impassioned plea, said the teachers and pupils at the school had been though a 'horrendous' time with Covid and the later fire. 'Of course, the figures went down; they lost a big catchment to Greenhill [Tenby] and through Covid and the fire. Figures are going up but there's the uncertainty of the last two-and-a-half years.' He added: '50 per cent of the pupils have got ALN needs, a lot of them come out of catchment simply due to the nurturing; there's a lot of poverty in Manorbier, a lot of the children will struggle in classes of big sizes, that's why they go to Manorbier. 'It shouldn't all be about money; we're looking at the bottom line all the time, what they've been through is horrendous. I can't speak highly enough about the level of teaching; this is the sword of Damocles hanging over them, we're not trying to give people false hope, we're only trying to make the right decision, with all the information. 'At the moment I would say we haven't got all the information there; all we're asking from the council is give us the benefit of the doubt and make the decision with all the information. Waiting another couple of months is well worth it, the staff, pupils and parents of Manorbier school all deserve it.' A plea on behalf of Ysgol Clyddau was launched by Cllr Iwan Ward, local member, who said it was 'the heart of our society not just a school, it's family, a community, an anchor for children who deserve the opportunity to grow,' adding closure was 'a disaster for the future of education locally,' and was 'not fair and was not moral'. Cllr Murphy's amendment was defeated by 35 votes to 14, with one abstention, the original recommendation later passing by 44 to three, again with one abstention.
Pembrokeshire Herald
16-05-2025
- General
- Pembrokeshire Herald
More than £500,000 of urgent repairs begin at Tenby school
THE EARLY stages of what could lead to the potential closure of Pembrokeshire schools including fire-ravaged Manorbier school has been backed by councillors. At the May meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a report of the School Modernisation Working Group. A report for members recommended a series of proposals including the Director of Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation with the St David's Diocese on proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, establishing the latter as a 3-11 Community School. It also recommended the Director of Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation on a proposal to discontinue Ysgol Clydau, along with a review of English and Welsh medium, primary and secondary provision in the Tenby cluster. Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space. Pupils and staff were successfully evacuated with no injuries, and a 'school from school' was set up in Jameston Village Hall, after a brief period of sanctuary at the nearby Buttyland caravan site. Manorbier has seen 'a 59.8 per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025, with no indication that this will be significantly reversed during the next 5-6 years,' the report said, adding: 'This decline cannot be attributed wholly to the fire which occurred in October 2022, with a 30.7 per cent decline from 2015 to 2022.' It added: 'The school's capacity is 86 but there has been an increasing level of surplus places at the school, reaching 74.4 per cent in 2025. The school has been in a position of having significant surplus places (>25 per cent) for at least seven years.' It said that most children living in the Manorbier school catchment attend other schools in the area, in 2024 only 15 children (18.5 per cent) living in the school's catchment attended Manorbier school. The capital cost of rebuilding Manorbier VC School is estimated to be £2.6 million. On Ysgol Clydau, the report said there has been a 34 per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025, with no indication that this will be significantly reversed during the next five-six years. Cilgerran Church in Wales VC School has seen a nine per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025. Leader Cllr Jon Harvey said, in the case of Manorbier, he wasn't yet convinced the authority 'was in full possession of the relevant data to make a decision,' reading out a letter from Sam Kurtz MS about the fears of potential closure. Independent group leader Cllr Huw Murphy, who later called for a deferral of any decision on Manorbier, saying: 'Two-and-a-half years after the fire we at Pembrokeshire County Council haven't covered ourselves in glory about this school and its catastrophic fire; numbers have reduced but there has to be a correlation. 'We all wanted Manorbier to be rebuilt, and the majority do now; we owe Manorbier a chance, we're being asked to make a decision on incomplete information.' Cllr Rhys Jordan, a neighbouring councillor to Manorbier, said the school had been 'caught in a bit of a political football on both sides,' adding: 'When that school burned down those children were placed in a safe place that's become a long-term fix. 'We need to get these young people into a proper educational environment; I can't support Cllr Murphy's amendment, it would be just kicking this down the road. I urge members to make a difficult decision today and support the recommendations.' Local member for Manorbier Cllr Phil Kidney in an impassioned plea, said the teachers and pupils at the school had been though a 'horrendous' time with Covid and the later fire. 'Of course, the figures went down; they lost a big catchment to Greenhill [Tenby] and through Covid and the fire. Figures are going up but there's the uncertainty of the last two-and-a-half years.' He added: '50 per cent of the pupils have got ALN needs, a lot of them come out of catchment simply due to the nurturing; there's a lot of poverty in Manorbier, a lot of the children will struggle in classes of big sizes, that's why they go to Manorbier. 'It shouldn't all be about money; we're looking at the bottom line all the time, what they've been through is horrendous. I can't speak highly enough about the level of teaching; this is the sword of Damocles hanging over them, we're not trying to give people false hope, we're only trying to make the right decision, with all the information. 'At the moment I would say we haven't got all the information there; all we're asking from the council is give us the benefit of the doubt and make the decision with all the information. Waiting another couple of months is well worth it, the staff, pupils and parents of Manorbier school all deserve it.' A plea on behalf of Ysgol Clyddau was launched by Cllr Iwan Ward, local member, who said it was 'the heart of our society not just a school, it's family, a community, an anchor for children who deserve the opportunity to grow,' adding closure was 'a disaster for the future of education locally,' and was 'not fair and was not moral'. Cllr Murphy's amendment was defeated by 35 votes to 14, with one abstention, the original recommendation later passing by 44 to three, again with one abstention.
Wales Online
16-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
School posing 'significant risk' handed £500k for urgent repairs
School posing 'significant risk' handed £500k for urgent repairs A survey report by Trident identified 750 faults at Ysgol Greenhill School in Tenby Damage at Ysgol Greenhill School in Tenby. (Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service ) Formal approval has been granted for more than £500,000 worth of urgent repairs to be made at a Tenby school, although concerns have been raised that the escalating need was only discovered by one of the governors through press reports. A special individual Cabinet member meeting of Pembrokeshire Council saw council leader Jon Harvey award a £555,946.17 contract to Trident Engineering GBR Ltd to undertake urgent concrete repair and protection works at Ysgol Greenhill School. A survey report by Trident identified 750 faults at the school following a survey in July 2024, with additional inspections carried out this February. The defects included concrete, cracks (horizontal and vertical) in concrete slabs, beams, columns and soffits, failed repairs, failed coatings, honeycombing to concrete, damage/cracks in panels, cracking to brickwork, with an increase in defective areas across the structure since the July survey. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . The members largely agreed in noting the justification behind the urgent decision made by the council leader. "We have observed an alarming acceleration in corrosion-related degradation due to the saline environment, leading to further concrete fracture, spalling, and delamination," the report stated. (Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service ) It further added: "This deterioration poses a significant risk, as sizeable debris has been witnessed falling from the structure, endangering pedestrians and potentially damaging vehicles and surrounding infrastructure. Article continues below "Our recent revisit surveys indicate that the cracks are expanding monthly, and the overall degradation is expected to worsen as thermal movement increases in response to climatic changes. "We recommend undertaking the necessary remedial works with immediate effect. If we delay initiating the works, we will incur additional surveillance costs, which could have been avoided. "Moreover, it is of utmost importance to note that some columns have lost enough structural mass to bring their integrity into question. Trident cannot endorse the continued use of the structure unless emergency repairs are initiated promptly." Since the awarding of that contract, a report was presented at the May meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, and councillors were urged to acknowledge the decisions taken at the emergency meeting. Councillor Harvey, supporting the proposal, mentioned that work on the school is making good progress. School governor councillor Alistair Cameron questioned whether there was any risk of increasing costs, and he received assurances that there are no such worries at present. Councillor Alec Cormack, also a governor, voiced his concerns over how information regarding the sudden need for works was communicated, revealing he only found out about the urgency following media coverage. Article continues below The council was briefed that prioritisation was being given to the March Road segment of the project, with completion aimed for by September.
Pembrokeshire Herald
15-05-2025
- General
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Pembrokeshire community fund has been launched by landfill operator
THE EARLY stages of what could lead to the potential closure of Pembrokeshire schools including fire-ravaged Manorbier school has been backed by councillors. At the May meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a report of the School Modernisation Working Group. A report for members recommended a series of proposals including the Director of Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation with the St David's Diocese on proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, establishing the latter as a 3-11 Community School. It also recommended the Director of Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation on a proposal to discontinue Ysgol Clydau, along with a review of English and Welsh medium, primary and secondary provision in the Tenby cluster. Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space. Pupils and staff were successfully evacuated with no injuries, and a 'school from school' was set up in Jameston Village Hall, after a brief period of sanctuary at the nearby Buttyland caravan site. Manorbier has seen 'a 59.8 per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025, with no indication that this will be significantly reversed during the next 5-6 years,' the report said, adding: 'This decline cannot be attributed wholly to the fire which occurred in October 2022, with a 30.7 per cent decline from 2015 to 2022.' It added: 'The school's capacity is 86 but there has been an increasing level of surplus places at the school, reaching 74.4 per cent in 2025. The school has been in a position of having significant surplus places (>25 per cent) for at least seven years.' It said that most children living in the Manorbier school catchment attend other schools in the area, in 2024 only 15 children (18.5 per cent) living in the school's catchment attended Manorbier school. The capital cost of rebuilding Manorbier VC School is estimated to be £2.6 million. On Ysgol Clydau, the report said there has been a 34 per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025, with no indication that this will be significantly reversed during the next five-six years. Cilgerran Church in Wales VC School has seen a nine per cent decline in the school's pupil population during the period 2015-2025. Leader Cllr Jon Harvey said, in the case of Manorbier, he wasn't yet convinced the authority 'was in full possession of the relevant data to make a decision,' reading out a letter from Sam Kurtz MS about the fears of potential closure. Independent group leader Cllr Huw Murphy, who later called for a deferral of any decision on Manorbier, saying: 'Two-and-a-half years after the fire we at Pembrokeshire County Council haven't covered ourselves in glory about this school and its catastrophic fire; numbers have reduced but there has to be a correlation. 'We all wanted Manorbier to be rebuilt, and the majority do now; we owe Manorbier a chance, we're being asked to make a decision on incomplete information.' Cllr Rhys Jordan, a neighbouring councillor to Manorbier, said the school had been 'caught in a bit of a political football on both sides,' adding: 'When that school burned down those children were placed in a safe place that's become a long-term fix. 'We need to get these young people into a proper educational environment; I can't support Cllr Murphy's amendment, it would be just kicking this down the road. I urge members to make a difficult decision today and support the recommendations.' Local member for Manorbier Cllr Phil Kidney in an impassioned plea, said the teachers and pupils at the school had been though a 'horrendous' time with Covid and the later fire. 'Of course, the figures went down; they lost a big catchment to Greenhill [Tenby] and through Covid and the fire. Figures are going up but there's the uncertainty of the last two-and-a-half years.' He added: '50 per cent of the pupils have got ALN needs, a lot of them come out of catchment simply due to the nurturing; there's a lot of poverty in Manorbier, a lot of the children will struggle in classes of big sizes, that's why they go to Manorbier. 'It shouldn't all be about money; we're looking at the bottom line all the time, what they've been through is horrendous. I can't speak highly enough about the level of teaching; this is the sword of Damocles hanging over them, we're not trying to give people false hope, we're only trying to make the right decision, with all the information. 'At the moment I would say we haven't got all the information there; all we're asking from the council is give us the benefit of the doubt and make the decision with all the information. Waiting another couple of months is well worth it, the staff, pupils and parents of Manorbier school all deserve it.' A plea on behalf of Ysgol Clyddau was launched by Cllr Iwan Ward, local member, who said it was 'the heart of our society not just a school, it's family, a community, an anchor for children who deserve the opportunity to grow,' adding closure was 'a disaster for the future of education locally,' and was 'not fair and was not moral'. Cllr Murphy's amendment was defeated by 35 votes to 14, with one abstention, the original recommendation later passing by 44 to three, again with one abstention.
