WILL financial support be given by Powys council to allow parents to buy new school uniforms for children being forced to attend other schools in September after theirs closes this summer – a senior councillor has asked.
Reform UK’s Cllr Karl Lewis wants to know what financial help is in place to help the parents of children attending the now doomed Llandinam primary school.
Cllr Lewis (Llandinam with Dolfor) has asked the question to education portfolio holder Cllr James Gibson-Watt (Liberal Democrat – Glasbury).
Cllr Lewis said: “Given the egregious and myopic decision to close Llandinam school—a lamentable act of short-termism that will prove deleterious to the educational formation of the children and the wider community of Llandinam, what practical financial support will be extended to affected families to offset the cost of purchasing new school uniforms for the children’s transition to alternative schools?”
Cllr Lewis continued “It must be remembered that this disruption is in no way the fault of the families involved.
“They are being forced to navigate a crisis entirely of this cabinet’s making.
“To compound this, these families are now being compelled to absorb the punitive financial burden of procuring entirely new uniforms as a direct consequence of your administration’s flawed policy.”
He asks if the Liberal Democrat/Labour cabinet “accept its moral and fiduciary responsibility” to provide “immediate financial restitution” to all of these households?
Cllr Lewis said: “I demand to know what specific mechanisms of support are being put in place to ensure that these families are not left to shoulder this unnecessary and avoidable cost.”
Under the question at any time process councillors are supposed to receive an answer within 10 working days.
A council spokeswoman said: “A response will be issued by July 10.”
In March the cabinet rubberstamped the decision to close Llandinam school at the end of August – despite overwhelming opposition to the proposal.
At the meeting on March 24 councillors received the objections report on the proposal.
The council received 44 objections during the period which had been batted away by the education officers in the report in what is the final part of the legal process in closing the school.
With 35 pupils the school was deemed to be too small to be able to deliver the new curriculum.
Pupils are expected to attend other schools in the area from September.
