The Welsh language stream at Brecon High School will stay open after a previous closure decision was overturned.
Powys council’s cabinet met at the Elim Church in Brecon on Monday to consider a proposal that the previously agreed closure of the stream should be rejected.
Eight cabinet members voted in favour of keeping the Welsh stream open but one abstained.
Had the closure, originally agreed by the previous council administration in March, been agreed Brecon High’s Welsh stream would have closed at the end of the current school term. Welsh medium education would have then been centralised at Builth Wells from this September.
Councillor Myfanwy Alexander, the cabinet member for education, who made the recommendation to reject closure said she didn’t believe the stream should close while a new building is planned for the school.
She said: "For me the most important factor is we are building a £13.2 million new school for learners in Brecon.
"It would be terrible if there was no place in that building for the national language, that is fairly shocking.
"We are offering two buildings in Brecon, a bus shelter for Welsh learners and a £13.2m new building for those not choosing a Welsh medium education."
However there was criticism that the proposal hasn’t contained any additional funding for Brecon High School – which is already facing severe financial pressure.
Cllr Stephen Hayes, who along with council leader Rosemarie Harris voted against the closure as members of the previous cabinet in March, abstained from the vote.
He said he was concerned that the Welsh medium provision currently available at Brecon High is "not satisfactory’ – with only a limited number of courses, especially at GCSE available – and said it hadn’t been shown how the provision would be enhanced.
But Cllr Hayes said: "I recognise there is a strong feeling in Brecon, unsatisfactory though the provision is, people would rather have it than have nothing so I’m not going to vote against it. But I feel this (report) is seriously lacking in how we are to build up a sustainable, viable provision in Brecon and that’s why I can’t support the recommendation."
Plaid Cymru group leader Elwyn Vaughan also criticised the cabinet for what he called a lack of support for the Welsh language.
Cllr Alexander said parents and the community needed to support the Welsh stream to help its viability.
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