Cabinet take £1.15million risk on school building projects

Powys County Council are using their own money so that they can receive future Welsh Government 21st Centuries funding for school building projects.

If they do not do this, the whole schools transformation programme could face a funding crisis.

At their cabinet meeting on Tuesday, May 18, councillors were told that they had to “risk” £1.15 million, which could be lost if the projects fall through.

The money is to be used on feasibility studies and designing of four school building projects.

The cabinet needed to approve a decision to move this money, known as a virement from the “Other 21st Century Schools Schemes” to be used on these potential schemes.

Head of transformation and communication, Emma Palmer, said: “The reason we are asking cabinet to take this risk, is that we are unable to access additional Welsh Government funding until we have spent 80 per cent of the funding available to us in the 21st Centuries schools programme.

“If we do not take the risk, it could halt the overall programme.

“We have had discussion with Welsh Government officials, we’ve taken on board the approach they have set out, and they can see the commitment from cabinet.”

Education portfolio holder Cllr Phyl Davies told his fellow councillors that the four projects had all been agreed previously on September 29, 2020.

Cllr Davies: “It’s important to state this is not a request for further funding, but it is to move money from one scheme to another to conform with the financial strategy and to enable us to take these projects further.”

Head of finance, Jane Thomas, said:  “In terms of the capital programme these projects are not fully funded at the moment and there is that level of risk should they not proceed, these costs would fall on the revenue budget.”

The virements were approved unanimously.

The money will be used to take project forward on:

£500,000 – A new facility at Ysgol Calon Cymru’s Llandrindod Wells campus.
£100,000 – 360 place new, dual-stream primary school in Sennybridge, replacing the current building.
£350,000 – A new campus on the site of the old Brecon High School which could include a new school, pupil referral unit and swimming pool and merging Mount Streets Infants School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc C.P. School
£200,000 – A new campus for Gwernyfed High School.

Before the “Transformation Strategy” school building projects had been split into Band A and Band B.

According to the report the council predicts it will be in the position of 80 per cent completion by August 2022 based on expected full business case approval of projects by Welsh Government.

Band B project are:

New campus at Machynlleth’s Bro Hyddgen all through school – £48,250,369
Ysgol Brynllywarch – £9,158,164
Ysgol Cedewain – £22,678,200
Newtown new primary school in Newtown – £12,921,251

A business case for a feasibility study to extension Llansantffraid CIW school – £50,000 is being developed.