Calls for Council chiefs to go after awful Estyn report

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Calls for sacking Liberal Democrat cabinet member for education, Cllr Pete Roberts, have been made by Powys opposition councillors.

This follows a damning report on Powys County Council’s education department being published by Estyn earlier today (Thursday).

The education watchdog for Wales inspected the council department that runs schools in the county in February and found “significant concerns”.

The report highlighted that there have been a number of “poor” inspection reports for secondary and all ages schools in the county and that there are leadership weaknesses at all levels.

Estyn gave the council four recommendations to address.

Opposition and Powys Independent joint group leader, Cllr Beverley Baynham, has written to the council leader to ask him to sack Cllr Roberts with the letter signed by the whole group.

Cllrs Baynham wrote: “I write to express our extreme disappointment in the Estyn report. It makes damning reading.

“Estyn has concluded the council’s education causes significant concern. Furthermore, we were disappointed at the briefing yesterday evening that despite the clear recommendation of R2, both yourself and the portfolio holder were virtually invisible.

“We would have hoped and expected that the initial response would have been led by yourselves and not left to our officers.”

This recommendation (R2) asks the council to: “strengthen the quality of support and challenge the schools to improve outcomes for all learners, including those with ALN (Additional Learning Needs)”.

Cllr Baynham said: “Considering these findings and in direct response to R2 we ask for you to reflect on your position as leader and to discharge the current portfolio holder of their responsibilities.”

Conservative group leader Cllr Aled Davies said: “I hope the leader and portfolio holder will do the right thing and resign, if not we will be demanding that they go.

“We have no confidence in this Lib Dem/Labour cabinet, they must take collective responsibility.”

He believes many of problems faced by the department are “a consequence” of decisions taken by the portfolio holder for finance Labour’s Cllr David Thomas.

Reform group leader, Cllr Iain McIntosh, said: “It is profoundly disheartening to review Estyn’s latest assessment of Powys’ education services.

“The report paints a troubling picture of the current state of education in our county. For those of us who have been closely monitoring the situation, these findings, while deeply concerning, are unfortunately not unexpected.

“It has become increasingly evident that the current administration has failed to prioritise education effectively.”

Cllr McIntosh said that it is “imperative” that Cllrs Gibson-Watt and Roberts “reflect seriously” on their roles and resign and wants an “urgent” council meeting to address these issues.

When asked by the LDRS if he was going to sack Cllr Roberts, Cllr Gibson-Watt replied: “The answer to your question is a definite no. If you read the report, it actually says that Pete has a good understanding of the service and provides appropriate support and challenge to it.

“So, it would be odd to sack a person for doing their job properly.”

The last Estyn inspection of education services published in September 2019 also said that the department was also causing “significant concern”.

It plunged the Independent/Conservative cabinet into crisis with calls from the Liberal Democrats to hold a council meeting in a bid to sack education cabinet member at the time, Myfanwy Alexander.

When reminded of the events surrounding the last Estyn report in 2019, Cllr Gibson-Watt said: “In calling for a meeting back in 2019, I was acting as leader of the opposition, on behalf of all opposition group members, not just the Liberal Democrats.

“I had discussions with then council leader (Rosemarie Harris) and a meeting was avoided by her agreeing to change portfolio holder responsibilities on the cabinet.

“A good outcome.”

The recommendations from Estyn are:

1- Strengthen the quality and impact of leadership, including political leadership, at all levels

2- Strengthen the quality of support and challenge to schools to improve outcomes for all learners, including those with ALN.

3- Work with partners to rapidly develop and implement a model for 16-19 education that is financially viable and sustainable and meets the needs of all.

4 – Ensure that the local authority addresses urgently important school site security issues.

Once the action plan is drawn up Estyn will review the council’s progress through a series of monitoring visits.