Powys' Welsh Conservatives reiterate their call for the cabinet member for education to resign.

They say the whole cabinet has contributed to this tale of despair – they are responsible and should do the right and honourable thing and resign for the sake of our children’s futures

Throughout the extraordinary council meeting on April 10 to discuss the scathing and damning Estyn report on Powys County Council Education services there were repeated calls from the Welsh Conservatives and others for the resignations of Liberal Democrat education portfolio holder, Councillor Pete Roberts, and council leader, Councillor James Gibson-Watt, but the list of those responsible for these failings extends to the whole cabinet.

Deputy Leader Councillor Matthew Dorrance who leads the Labour group on Powys council backed his liberal democrat coalition partners and effectively accepted his share of blame for this situation when admitting that “this is a collective responsibility administration.”

The portfolio holder for finance, Councillor David Thomas, then got in on the act by not wanting to talk about the state of schools’ finances which are in crisis. 

The Estyn report said that “the local authority’s ability to support and challenge individual schools to manage their budgets is adversely affected by a range of strategic decisions and financial issues affecting education overall. The local authority has not had enough impact over time in supporting sustainable improvement in the school budget position.”

A spokesperson for The Welsh Conservatives said: “In response all the meeting heard were excuses, attempts to shift the blame and half-hearted apologies.

“Our children deserve and urgently need much more than this.

“It was disrespectful for cabinet members to be seen laughing and joking during the debate – this is no laughing matter. In just under three years this coalition has dragged down education in Powys. Our children only have once chance, it is heart-breaking.”

Welsh Conservative group leader Cllr Aled Davies said; ‘Giving the next generation an excellent education should be the number one priority for the Council, but clearly, it is not so for the Liberal Democrat/Labour administration, they are depriving the 15,000 Powys children of the education that is essential for a good start in life.

“The previous Cabinet worked hard to remove the Council from the category of ‘causing significant concern’ and in their October 2021 report Estyn praised the leadership saying, ‘The Chief Executive, the Leader, the Portfolio Holder for Education and the Director of Education have provided robust leadership and have secured notable positive change for education in Powys’

“The Powys Education service was starting to move in the right direction but three years later under the leadership of the Liberal Democrats and Labour all the work by so many has been thrown away. 

“It is disgraceful that the Powys Education service is once again in the category of ‘causing significant concern’. Estyn’s latest report is scathing and recommends that the Council ‘Strengthen the quality and impact of leadership, including political leadership, at all levels’.

“The Cabinet is asking our Schools to do the impossible with the resources that they provide. As Heads wrestle with budgets, focus is being taken away from improving school outcomes, many secondary schools in some form of Estyn category. The Council needs dynamic leadership with a strong focus school transformation to deliver an education that will inspire the next generation.

“The current LibDem/Labour Cabinet led the Council into this mess, and they are certainly incapable of delivering improvements, they must go and go immediately, they are not fit for office.”

Newtown West Welsh Conservative councillor Pete Lewington added: “Estyn’s report criticised the lack of political leadership which we continue to see as both the leader and portfolio holder have passed their responsibility for improving our education services to a new internal accelerated improvement board established by the Chief Executive. The portfolio holder’s course work is so poor Estyn has not only had to do his job for him but have put him in detention.

“Despite numerous cross-party requests for the portfolio holder to acknowledge that he is responsible for these failings under his leadership and stand down he steadfastly refused to do so and received the full backing of both the leader and deputy leader.

“Utterly shameful and our children deserve so much more than this”

Llansantffraid Welsh Conservative councillor Gwynfor Thomas said: “The portfolio holder together with the backing of the leader and his cabinet still don’t have the ambition to make education the best for Powys’ children. Estyn has given clear recommendations to improve education, but funding and ambition remain stagnant under the current administration.”