Letter: Council's regulation affects all stakeholders in education
Living on the Shropshire/Powys border with relatives between Newtown and Llandrindod I often hear tales of how shambolic Powys County Council is. Shropshire has its problems but the attitude of officers appears so different.
Until now I've watched from afar with slight bemusement. However two years ago my wife and I decided to send our son to Llanfyllin High School, part of the reasoning being, it was affordable to get there.
My wife is most definitely Welsh, my grandparents are from the Llanfyllin area, where I still have a huge number of distant family in Llanfyllin so it most definitely isn't the English invading the Welsh (we won't mention how many travel the other direction for health/schooling, oops I just did) .
There is no iron curtain, no passport control, indeed I find it difficult to identify myself as English or Welsh, I am me, I just happen to live within sight of an artificial construct known as a border.
A few weeks ago someone decided to make a Freedom of Information request regarding home to school transport in Powys, the only reason to make that request is that they don't want the English coming over the border into Wales. I hope they are happy with what they have achieved, the unintended consequences of that action are vast and may include loss of subject availability and damage the education of both Welsh and English pupils.
Powys County Council decided that now would be a good time to enforce what is known as regulation 5.2, they've known for years about this regulation and on every level Powys benefits, financially, educationally and the Welsh language benefits too. We heard of scenarios at a friends of the school meeting, based on Powys's own funding formula spreadsheet, this decision could cost Powys taxpayers £2.5 million over the next five years, due to the way smaller secondary schools are funded more per head.
We heard of how Powys had been presented with options by the school that would mitigate the impact of this decision, but still comply with 5.2, but no cabinet pressed ahead, implemented its decision and started an investigation into Llanfyllin High School.
It was also refreshing to hear how a specialist barrister has torn apart Powys CC arguments relating to 5.2 and that while legal action is hopefully avoidable hundreds of parents have signed up to a letter before action which Powys should receive this week. Powys CC, you can't pretend not to know something you clearly did, you must take into account the impact on children inside and outside catchment, you have not!
Maybe its time for the leaders of Powys CC to retire, there's an election in 12 months, I think people across Powys, and Shropshire, will be looking for big changes.
Please people of Powys regulation 5.2 affects not just us Shropshire border dwellers, but all stakeholders in Powys education. Please pressure your county councillors to revisit regulation 5.2, please support the Friends of Llanfyllin School, it costs money to fight PCC if you can spare a few pounds please pledge it: https://fundrazr.com/Llanfyllin-friends
Phil Lewis, Treflach
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