POWYS council’s cabinet faces a revised attempt to strip it of its power to close schools.

Backbench and opposition councillors had been told they didn’t have the right to take responsibility for school closures away from the executive - but council officers have now accepted that advice was wrong.

The council now faces holding a second extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in the space of a month. An EGM on Thursday, June 16 will consider a motion to transfer decisions on school closures from the cabinet to all 73 members of the council.

The future of four secondary schools is due to be decided in the coming months while the closure of three Radnorshire primary schools could be decided within weeks.

The council’s Conservative group leader, Councillor Aled Davies, wants all 73 members of the council to decide the fate of the schools.

At present the power to decide if the schools should close or remain open rests with the nine-member cabinet - appointed by council leader, Councillor Barry Thomas.

The cabinet is drawn from the council’s independent groups who hold a majority on the council.

Cllr Davies and Cllr Gary Price, the Conservative member for Llandrindod North, were previously told council officers had taken legal advice that the constitution couldn’t be changed to transfer the decision making power to the full council.

But officers conceded that advice was wrong when challenged at the EGM held on Monday, May 16. Hay-on-Wye independent member Gareth Ratcliffe questioned why councillors couldn’t take the decisions as school closures had been decided by the full council in Pembrokeshire.

Tory group leader Aled Davies has now called for another EGM on Thursday, June 16 where councillors will be asked to agree a motion to transfer responsibility over schools from the cabinet to the full council.

Cllr Davies said: "Schools take up about 40% of the council’s budget and have a huge impact on local communities. Personally I think all councillors should take that responsibility."

Cllr Davies called for the council’s independent members to take the power into their own hands rather the leaving the decision to the cabinet.

He said: "A lot of councillors hide behind the cabinet and say it’s a cabinet decision and there is nothing they can do about it.

"A lot of independent councillors will rail against any school closure but leave the cabinet in post. The independent councillors put the leader in post and it is the leader who appoints the cabinet. It is within the power of the independent councillors to change the leader.

"I think it should be for the full council to take decision of such significance. It is almost unfair to put that decision on the cabinet. All councillors should take that responsibility and put their hand up for closing or for not closing a school. If you vote not to close a school you have a responsibility to put an alternative in place."

Cllr Davies said council leader Barry Thomas had agreed to hold the EGM so that any decision on the closure of the three Radnorshire primary schools can still be made before the end of the summer term.

The cabinet has already consulted on its plans to close Llanbister County Primary, Llanfihangel Rhydithon County Primary in Dolau and Nantmel Church in Wales School but must still make a final decision on whether to issue notices to close the schools.

If Cllr Davies’ motion is agreed the fate of those three schools would be decided at the full council meeting on July 13.

The cabinet is also consulting until June 1 on its plans to close Brecon High, Gwernyfed High School in Three Cocks, Builth Wells High and Llandrindod High School.

The council wants to open two new schools, one at Brecon, and another to replace Builth and Llandrindod in 2019, but close all four from September 2017. It would open two new schools, operating from the four existing sites, from that September.

The cabinet isn’t due to consider the outcomes of the consultation on secondary schools until the autumn when it would be asked whether to press ahead with issuing closure notices.

But that decision would also be made by the full council if Cllr Davies’ motion is agreed.