Challenge to council over cost of school 'options'

LABOUR in Llanelli has urged the Plaid-led Carmarthenshire Council to “put its money where its mouth is” and commit to building a new 250-pupil “super” Ysgol Heol Goffa for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN).

- IAN LEWIS

The call comes after the council's cabinet member for education, Cllr Glynog Davies, announced that two possible options - a 150-pupil school and a 250-pupil school - would be “investigated”. Both options would result in a larger provision than the current oversubscribed Ysgol Heol Goffa.

A replacement school was proposed several years ago at Llanelli’s former Draka copperworks site, but the council decided not to press ahead with it last year, citing soaring project costs.

The decision sparked dismay and anger among campaigners, and the council commissioned an independent review of ALN provision in the Llanelli area.

Published in February, the review’s findings outlined six options for the school and ALN locally. The ones that are to be explored further are two of the six.

Cllr Davies said: “I'll be recommending either a 150-capacity Heol Goffa school on one site, with primary and secondary specialist centres for a total of 115 pupils with autistic spectrum condition attached to mainstream schools; or a new ALN school for 250 pupils, to include provision for pupils with autistic spectrum condition.”

Hannah Coles, chairwoman of campaign group Ysgol Heol Goffa Action Committee and a parent of a pupil at the school, described Cllr Davies's announcement as “really positive”.

She said: “The local authority has acknowledged we do need a new school. That's fantastic. The action committee is really pushing for a 250-pupil school.”