Conwy Council ordered not to spend £1.5m education grant on bizarre items

A county council has been ordered not to spend a Welsh Government grant on a bizarre list of things including “offering sexual services”.
The proviso was contained in a list of what not to do with more than £1.5m of education funding it gave Conwy council to maintain school buildings.
The £1,528,594 award covers money spent in 2020-21, as long as the council commits the same sum to maintaining schools in the next financial year.
However it appeared Welsh Government has a more comprehensive list of what the cash should not be used for in the funding approval letter, sent to the authority’s head of education.
It said: “You must not use any part of the funding for:
“(1) party political purposes; (2) the promoting of any particular secular, religious or political views; (3) gambling; (4) pornography; (5) offering sexual services; (6) purchasing capital equipment (other than as specified in the purposes); (7) your legal fees in relation to this letter; (8) costs incurred or any costs incurred an defrayed by you in the delivery of the purposes prior to the period referred to; (9) any kind of illegal activities; or (10) any kind of activity which in our opinion could bring us in to disrepute.”
Welsh Government refused to be drawn on whether councils spending grant monies on pornography and gambling had been a particular problem in the past.
However a spokeswoman said it was “just a standard letter” sent out to councils with grants for specific purposes.
The list of works the money will be used for will be discussed at this evening’s education and skills overview and scrutiny committee meeting at the council’s Bodlondeb offices.
The big winners are Ysgol Gynradd Glanwydden, Penrhyn Bay, which will get £6,000 for a new roof and Mochdre Infants School which will also get a new roof costing £110,000.
Ysgol Betws Y Coed will receive £100,000 to spend on a new kitchen building and roof.
There will be a contingency fund of more than £380,000 held back for urgent repairs and consultancy fees of £85,000 have been factored in.
Conwy’s leader Cllr Sam Rowlands took the rather bizarre instructions on how not to spend the grant in good spirit.
He said: “We are grateful for the funding and grateful for the clear stipulations on how to spend it.
“But we will always spend grant money for the benefit of the community we serve.”

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter