Cllr Aaron Wynne, Cabinet Member for Education, Conwy County Borough Council, has come under further pressure from Janet Finch-Saunders MS/AS in the campaign to protect Ysgol Betws-y-Coed from potential closure.
The Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee is set to meet at 17:00pm on 4 November where they will be considering two recommendations in relation to the primary school:
1. To commence with the consultation on the proposed closure of Ysgol Betws-y-Coed;
2. To not commence the consultation process.
The Cabinet Member for Education has recommended that a consultation be commenced on the potential closure of the school. Cllr Wynne states in the report:
“This consultation is a necessary step to ensure that the views of the school community are sought. It will ensure that there is a transparent process by which communities can share their views”.
A public meeting took place at Betws-y-Coed Memorial Hall on Monday 27/10/2025, where there was strong opposition to the possibility of closure, and around 1,000 have signed a petition.
Commenting after writing a further letter to the Cabinet Member for Education, Janet said:
“The Cabinet Member for Education, from Llanrwst, wants a consultation to consider the potential closure of a school in a neighbouring village to commence so that residents can share their views. What more does he need to see or hear than around 1,000 signing a petition, a public meeting, and public outcry at the proposal?!
“The Education Committee should not support a consultation on potential closure. They should fight for the survival of a rural, Welsh language school.
“Importantly, the Committee members should be making decisions based on accurate information. Bearing in mind that serious questions have arisen in terms of some of the content of the report it appears that there are errors.
“Due to what appears to be incorrect information, the decision on Ysgol Betws-y-Coed should not be made on 4 November. The report should be amended and considered by another Committee meeting, or even better, scrapped altogether”.
ENDS
