- 10/08/2011
- Posted by: Ken Skates MS
- Category: News
KEN SKATES AND SUSAN ELAN JONES, have called on councils in Wrexham and Denbighshire to work together to fund school transport in Llangollen.
Recently it was announced that Ysgol Dinas Bran had voted to provide transport itself for learners coming from the traditional catchment area of Chirk from 2012 after Wrexham Council voted to stop funding the service. The Labour MP Susan Elan Jones said she welcomed news that school children would continue to have access to free school transport, but AM Ken Skates added the funding burden should not fall on schools when councils couldn’t work together.
SUSAN ELAN JONES MP said: “I welcome news that schoolchildren in Chirk will continue to get free school transport to Ysgol Dinas Bran. This is an issue that has been on-going for a long time, causing significant concern to parents as well as pupils who currently attend the school.
“Maintaining the strong bond that exists between the two communities is vital and I’m pleased parents will be free to choose the school that is right for their children.”
KEN SKATES AM said: “I welcome this decision, but am disappointed that it is the school that has had to step in and fund transport that the local authorities should be paying for. Wrexham and Denbighshire Councils need to get together to ensure that vital money that is intended to be spent on children’s education is not diverted away for school transport.
“The Minister for Local Government Carl Sargeant has made it very clear that councils need to collaborate more effectively to ensure delivery of services for our constituents gets better.
“I am clear in my mind that this is an example of where local authorities in North East Wales could collaborate more closely to provide better services for people living and working on the border between Wrexham and Denbighshire.
“I would like to see Wrexham and Denbighshire get together and sort this issue out so schools can spend their money on teaching our children, not mopping up after local authorities who cannot agree to do the right thing.”
-Ends-
