Gareth Ratcliffe, Welsh Liberal Democrat Councillor for Hay, has criticised a lack of progress on promised development plans for Gwernyfed High School.

The criticism comes after Cllr Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property, said that officials working for the Powys County Council had to “re-prioritise” their projects.

Many Hay-on-Wye pupils and families attend Gwernyfed High School or live in the catchment zone.

Plans to develop a new school building were first announced in September 2016 and the Council is also looking at potential sites for a new secondary school in the area.

However, progress has been slow and there have not been any public updates in recent months.

Last week, Cllr Ratcliffe submitted a question to the Council on the issue.

In his response, Cllr Davies said: “Unfortunately, officers have had to re-prioritise their focus for now in order to deal with a number of projects that are further in development than Gwernyfed.”

Commenting, Cllr Gareth Ratcliffe said:

“Yet again it feels like Powys are trying to kick the Gwernyfed development into the long grass.

“I will keep fighting to get the school we were promised and deserve.

“I submitted the question as it seems that nothing is moving forward.

“The school, pupils, staff, and local community are working hard to ensure we get the best outcomes for our children. Now the County Council need to do their bit.

“I will be pushing for a further update in the Autumn.

“I understand that the pressures on the Local Education Authority and its’ resources during the pandemic have been immense, but the Conservative Portfolio Holder still made sure that consultations on closing Powys primary schools were pushed through.

“Maybe Gwernyfed is just not a priority.”

When approached for a comment, Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, told the Brecon and Radnor Express: “Due to the current scale and pace of our Transforming Education programme, we have had to re-prioritise our focus for now to deal with a number of projects that are further in development than the Gwernyfed project including the new learning and leisure campus in Machynlleth, the new Welsh-medium primary school in Welshpool and the new special school in Newtown.”

Fellow County Councillor and School Governor, William Powell (Welsh Lib Dem, Talgarth) endorsed Cllr Ratcliffe’s concerns:

‘’We absolutely need to be proactive and should read such evasive answers with a healthy dose of scepticism,” said Cllr Powell.

“Meanwhile, we must ensure that Powys County Council delivers upon its Gwernyfed High School maintenance commitments on the existing school site. It is crystal clear that, even with fresh impetus in the project, it will remain our school’s home for a number of years to come.

“In particular, the County Council has investment obligations to the school’s historic main building, the Manor House, which dates from the late nineteenth century and is Grade 2 listed by Cadw. These costs must be centrally funded and it is vital that any necessary work is carried out to a high standard. It was this, amongst other concerns, that prompted my question in Full Council on 15th July.”