Conwy Council Loans Over Half a Million Pounds to Cash-Strapped Secondary Schools
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Two cash-strapped secondary schools will loan a combined sum of over half a million pounds from Conwy Council after members slashed education budgets.
At a meeting at Bodlondeb, Conwy’s cabinet member for education admitted headteachers were losing sleep due to schools’ precarious financial position.
Ysgol Aberconwy in Conwy will now borrow £200,000 from Conwy County Council whilst Ysgol Eirias in Colwyn Bay will borrow £351,000.
Both loans will be paid back over a five-year period.
Earlier this year, headteachers sent a letter condemning budget cut proposals in an already challenging post-Covid world.
Despite the warning, Conwy councillors voted in favour of 5% education budget cuts, with schools losing 51 members of staff to voluntary and compulsory redundancies.
Councillors also raised council tax by 9.67%.
At a cabinet meeting this month, Conwy’s cabinet agreed the loans for the two secondary schools, following a recommendation from a schools’ loans panel.
Cabinet member for education Cllr Julie Fallon addressed her fellow councillors.
“Myself and Charlie (leader Cllr McCoubrey) have met with a number of the headteachers,” she said.
“They’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this position.
“I sit on the redundancy panels.
“I know both these schools have gone through really significant financial planning.
“And it’s amazing they’ve got to this point to reduce this figure down as they have, and you’ll see Ysgol Aberconwy have requested a loan of £200,000, repayable over a five-year term, and Ysgol Eirias have requested a loan of £351,000, also repayable over a five-year term.”
She added: “All that work to get them to this point has to be well commended. It’s hard to see and hear teachers… I know one of the teachers we visited was having sleepless nights, trying to find a way of advancing the budget but doing it in such a way that meant they could continue to provide an excellent education for their pupils, and that is what both of these schools have done.”
The proposal was seconded by Cllr Chris Cater, and the decision was voted through.
By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter
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