Governors suspended over Llanfyllin school bus row
Three governors from a high school embroiled in a row over home to school transport have been suspended for three months with another governor suspended for a month.
The governors, all Powys county councillors, were originally removed from their roles at Llanfyllin High School but appealed.
News that they will still have to serve a suspension and undertake re-training has been met with anger by parents campaigning for the continuation of the cheap bus fares for out-of-catchment children.
They say the school reacting to an Estyn report and facing the council's education reorganisation plans needs its governors more than ever.
Powys County Council said the school should not have offered subsidised transport to 149 pupils for whom Llanfyllin is not their nearest secondary school.
It is allowing the arrangement at Llanfyllin to continue for the next two years although at an increased charge, £120 a term rather than the £80 a term parents currently pay. That will jump to more than £200 a term in two years' time.
Four local authority governors, Councillor Darren Mayor, Councillor Aled Davies, Councillor Peter Lewis and Councillor Gwynfor Thomas, had been dismissed by the county council's cabinet as local authority governors of any Powys school.
Former cabinet member Councillor Myfanwy Alexander was also dismissed as an LA governor of any Powys school at the same time.
Following their appeal council leader, Councillor Barry Thomas, said: "I can confirm that the original decision to dismiss the councillors as governors has changed.
"Councillors Darren Mayor, Aled Davies and Peter Lewis will be suspended for four months and they will have to undertake training prior to their return as governors.
"Councillor Gwynfor Thomas, who was not a governor when the original decision was made will be unable to resume duties as a governor for one month.
"The appeal by Councillor Myfanwy Alexander has been upheld in full and she will not be removed or suspended for acting as an LA governor but the issue has already been referred to the Local Government Ombudsman to consider her conduct as a cabinet portfolio holder.
"The appeal hearing considered there were mitigating circumstances that needed to be taken into consideration and have now been reflected in the changes," he added.
Parent Phil Lewis, from Treflach, near Oswestry, said: "We are angry at the suspensions. We need our governors to steer the school through an important time."
