Wrthi'n llwytho
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RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 June 2025 be approved.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the School Budget Forum held on 4 March 2025 be noted.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Conwy Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education held on 20 June 2025 be noted.
RESOLVED: That the advice of the Council’s statutory officers be noted.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Antony Bertola and Jacob Williams.
The following Councillors declared a personal interest in agenda item 8a (Final determination on the amalgamation of Ysgol Glan Gele and Ysgol Sant Elfod) as they are Local Authority appointed School Governors • Councillor Alan Hunger – Ysgol Glan Gele • Councillor Paul Luckock – Ysgol St Elfod • Councillor Charlie McCoubrey – Ysgol Glan Gele As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillors Hunter, Luckock and McCoubrey remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed and voted upon. Councillor Kay Redhead declared a personal interest in agenda item 8b (Final determination on the amalgamation of Ysgol y Foryd and Ysgol Maes Owen) as she is a Local Authority appointed School Governor for Ysgol Maes Owen. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Redhead remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed and voted upon.
None.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 June 2025 be approved.
The minutes of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 June 2025 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 3 June 2025 be approved.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the School Budget Forum held on 4 March 2025 be noted.
The minutes of the School Budget Forum held on 4 March 2025 were submitted for information. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the School Budget Forum held on 4 March 2025 be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Conwy Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education held on 20 June 2025 be noted.
The minutes of the Conwy Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education held on 20 June 2025 were submitted for information. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Conwy Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education held on 20 June 2025 be noted.
None.
The Cabinet Member for Education introduced a report on the final determination on the amalgamation of Ysgol Glan Gele and Ysgol Sant Elfod and the Strategic Manager - Education Property and Site Management highlighted key points from within the report. Members discussed the following: • It was understood that figures in respect of those viewing the statutory notice online were unique visits, however this would be clarified in future reports. • The Cabinet Member for Education extended her thanks to the school, parents and pupils for their engagement in the consultation process. - The amalgamation would have a positive impact on pupils as it would provide continuity and would remove the need to transition between schools. • It was hoped that the amalgamation could be completed quickly, in order to minimise disruption. • It was confirmed that pre-existing loans would be transferred to the amalgamated school. - It was suggested that the loan be written off; it was noted that no such request had been received. - The write-off of a loan due to an amalgamation of schools would set a precedent. RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the amalgamation of Ysgol Glan Gele and Ysgol Sant Elfod be approved. Note: The following Councillors declared a personal interest in the above agenda item as they are Local Authority appointed School Governors • Councillor Alan Hunger – Ysgol Glan Gele • Councillor Paul Luckock – Ysgol St Elfod • Councillor Charlie McCoubrey – Ysgol Glan Gele As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillors Hunter, Luckock and McCoubrey remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed and voted upon.
The Cabinet Member for Education introduced a report on the final determination on the amalgamation of Ysgol y Foryd and Ysgol Maes Owen and the Strategic Manager - Education Property and Site Management highlighted key points from within the report. The Cabinet Member for Education extended her thanks to the school, parents and pupils for their engagement in the consultation process. RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the amalgamation of Ysgol y Foryd and Ysgol Maes Owen be approved. Note: Councillor Kay Redhead declared a personal interest in the above agenda item as she is a Local Authority appointed School Governor for Ysgol Maes Owen. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Redhead remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed and voted upon.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the advice of the Council’s statutory officers be noted.
The Leader introduced a report which set out professional advice from the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer in respect of savings realised from school amalgamations and the Strategic Director – Finance and Resources highlighted key points from within the report. The Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee had previously recommended to Cabinet, that ‘any savings realised from school amalgamations be reinvested into school’s budgets’, however, this recommendation had not been supported by Cabinet at that time. The Strategic Director explained that it was the function of Council to set the budget. Furthermore, it would not be appropriate to fetter Council’s ability to set a balanced budget by establishing a permanent restriction, by way of ringfencing a significant element of the Councils overall budget. Therefore, in the professional opinion of both the Monitoring Officer and the s151 officer, such a policy could not have such a legal effect or may be unlawful. However, the current budget processes allowed Cabinet to recommend and Council to approve proposals on the allocation of funding to schools as part of the revenue budget setting process. The Head of Education Services could submit a revenue business case to retain the monies within the school budgets; that business case could then be considered in the context of the overall budget position at that time. Members discussed the following: · Whilst it was suggested that the re-investment of savings into school budgets may encourage additional savings, all services would welcome the opportunity of additional funding. · Whilst business cases could be submitted for the retention of specific finances within school budgets, a blanket ringfencing of finances could impact on the Council’s ability to set a balanced budget. · It was noted that a call-in regarding Cabinet’s decision not to accept the above recommendation, had been withdrawn on the basis that a report would come forward explaining the options. . - It was suggested that, rather than provide options, the report repeated officer advice that had been provided to Cabinet. - There was disappointment expressed that the report did not provide the detail required and did not contain a statement from the Head of Education or the Director of Social Care and Education. · The School Organisation Code stated that ‘In general, local authorities should look to recycle assets from any surplus school buildings and sites in their ownership into the overall improvement of their school estate rather than allocate those proceeds to projects outside the education portfolio, although these decisions ultimately rest with local authorities.’ However, this was only guidance, with budgetary decisions ultimately being made by Council. · It was positive that amalgamations took into consideration the best interests of the community and did not have a sole focus on savings. · Some schools did not have the option to amalgamate or may have amalgamated in the past. · Whilst it was suggested that ringfencing of savings could set a precedent for other services, it was also felt that savings from amalgamations should only be used for schools and not to support the overall budget. · Details of school amalgamation savings had not previously been shared within budget setting meetings. · It was suggested that proposals be brought forward for the 2026/2027 budget setting process to maximise the use of school amalgamation savings and that assistance be provided to Members to draw up these proposals. - The Leader set out the budget setting process which included an unhypothecated sum from the Welsh Government (WG) . - Teacher pay was set by the WG and Central Government set the level of pay for Council staff. - A decision had to be made in respect of the support provided to each service, not just schools - In 2024/2025, whilst the increase in the overall settlement was 3.8%, the Council had been provided an increase of approximately 5% to schools. - In order to support schools, council tax had been increased, and substantial cuts had been made to other services. - The Council was required to produce a balanced budget and it was not the remit of Scrutiny Committees or Cabinet to ringfence budgets. · It was suggested that school amalgamations could lead to increased costs due to unforeseen circumstances. · The Head of Education Services suggested that school funding could be discussed at the upcoming Budget Working Group and as it was a complex issue further discussions woud be reuired. · It was noted that a consultation on School Funding, Budget Statements and Outturn Statements (Wales) Regulations 2026 would run until 2 September, 2025. · The Cabinet Member for Education advised that allocating savings back into the school budget on a permanent basis would be restrictive and that alternative options should be explored. - The Cabinet Member would hold discussions with the Strategic Director – Finance and Resources and the Head of Education Services and Members and Governors would be given the opportunity to provide their input. · There was a funding crisis within schools that had resulted in staff being made redundant in both primary and secondary schools. - 9 primary schools and 2 secondary schools had applied for a loan. - It was suggested that Schools were a statutory service but were not treated the same as other services. The following was proposed and seconded: · That any savings realised from school amalgamations be reinvested into schools. · That a report be presented to Council in October, 2025, addressing the concerns of the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee, including further legal advice and the approach other local authorities took in respect of savings from school amalgamations. Following a vote, the amendment to the proposal was lost and it was: RESOLVED: That the advice of the Council’s statutory officers be noted.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
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