Janet Finch-Saunders, the Member of the Senedd for Bangor, Conwy and Môn, has written to Council Leader, Councillor Julie Fallon, challenging her response to Janet’s original letter.
In the original letter, Janet outlined the impacts that closure of the school will have on the local community, pupils, and on the Welsh language. With children losing the support systems the have built at the school, and facing a half an hour journey to get to school each day, and called on the Council Leader, to take actions to prevent the closure.
The Council Leader responded:
“I will not be taking action against the decision that we have taken as a Cabinet. The cost per pupil is the second highest in the whole of Wales and is unsustainable. Education will work with families to ensure their transition, when the time comes, will be as smooth as possible.”
Following this response, Janet has written to Council Leader, Cllr Julie Fallon, reiterating these concerns, and highlighting that there has been a lack of communication with residents in regards, to the timeframe of this closure.
Janet commented:
“The decision to close Ysgol Betws-y-Coed is deeply disappointing and completely out of touch with the concerns of local families. What makes this decision even harder to understand is that more than £700,000 of public money has been invested in the school, including improvements to the canteen, windows and plumbing. That investment has helped make Ysgol Betws-y-Coed one of the best-maintained school buildings in the area. It is incredibly difficult to justify spending that level of money on a school and then turning around and closing it.
“This is not simply about the financial cost of running a school. It is about the value of keeping education at the heart of a rural community and making proper use of a building that has already benefited from significant public investment. The building also has the potential to become a much greater community asset, supporting local groups and residents.
“Residents deserve to know why the school is being closed, when the closure is actually expected to happen. As some local residents were unaware of the vote on the closure taking place. This is a deeply concerning breakdown in communication.
“I am calling on the Council to reconsider this decision, listen to the families and residents of Betws-y-Coed, and recognise that once this school is gone, it cannot simply be brought back. The Council must think very carefully about the long-term consequences of this decision for our children and our community.”
ENDS
Photo: Janet Finch-Saunders MS/AS
