Wrexham Council under fire from Ken Skates AM over Ysgol Pontfadog closure

Assembly Member Ken Skates has called on ‘shambolic’ Wrexham Council to put plans to close a village school on hold.

Council leaders voted to shut Ysgol Pontfadog last week and issued a statutory notice of closure, but have since admitted not looking at all the responses to a public consultation programme which local campaigners had described as a whitewash.

Mr Skates had previously urged parents to make their voices heard during the consultation period. He said the whole process must now be questioned.

“If Wrexham Council is admitting it didn’t take into account all the views put forward then the whole exercise and the subsequent decision is flawed. It’s shambolic,” said the Clwyd South AM.
“People need to have faith in the democratic process, not more reason to think the whole process was a charade and the decision to close Ysgol Pontfadog had already been made. Let’s not forget that only 6% of people who responded said they wanted the school to shut.”

Mr Skates said he backed Glyntraian Community Council’s demand to rescind the decision.
Residents in the Ceiriog Valley had previously raised concerns with the AM about Wrexham Council’s plans to cater for what it says is ‘a growing Welsh-medium demand’.

Mr Skates added: “A number of people contacted me about this issue and there’s understandable concern. When you close schools, you change communities. The council had a very tough decision on its hands. But, above all, the process has to be fair and transparent.”

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones added: “As I made very clear in my submission to the Wrexham Council consultation, Ysgol Pontfadog should stay open. It is not acceptable that the Council has not even taken its own consultation seriously.
“I totally support Glyntraian Community Council’s call to rescind the decision. Wrexham Council needs to listen to families across the Ceiriog Valley and re-think their damaging decision.”