Council agrees schools merger

In January, the Powys County Council cabinet took the decision to go ahead with the merger of Ladywell Green Infant School (aged four to seven years) and Hafren Community Primary Junior School (seven to 11 years) by September 1, 2021.

It is estimated the merger will save the council £131,885, a year.

Following that meeting, the statutory notice was published giving a month for anyone to object to the proposals.

The report on the objections came back to be discussed by cabinet at their meeting today.

The authority's education portfolio holder, councillor Phyl Davies said: “We’ve had many discussions on this item in the past and this is the report following the statutory notice that was published after the decision on January 7.

“I’m pleased to report there were no objections to the notice.”

Finance portfolio holder, Councillor Aled Davies added: “It’s very straightforward.”

The cabinet agreed that to close Ladywell Green Infants School and Hafren C.P. Junior School from August 31, 2021. The authority will then establish a new English-medium primary school for pupils aged 4-11 on the current sites of Ladywell Green Infants School and Hafren C.P. Junior School on September 1, 2021.

The merger was originally discussed at a full council meeting on December 20, 2019.

At the meeting, councillors gave an opinion in favour of the merger.

But they also cautioned that the site in Newtown, where the schools are situated, is where the North Powys Wellbeing Programme could build a “mini-hospital” or “wellbeing campus.”

The programme run by the council and Powys Teaching Health Board was given £2.5 million by the Welsh Government in May 2019 to start the health and well being project.

Part of this project would be to build a facility bringing health and social services together under one roof.

It is possible that a new-build school following the merger could become part of this wellbeing/health building.