Non-submission of school extra-curricular transport report
Decided: The Committee accepted the reasons for not submitting the report and agreed a revised submission date of January 2027. The minute records a unanimous decision.
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Welsh councils this month made decisions on school closures and openings, special school space, and school repairs, while budgets and additional learning needs (ALN) funding remained pressure points. Carmarthenshire, Powys, Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea took some of the main decisions.[7][8][4][2][5]
Written in November 2026 from council records since 20 September 2026, open consultations and official sources. Written automatically, then checked: every point names its sources and every figure appears in them. Follow the links to check anything before relying on it.
Councils run community schools, fund every state school, provide school transport and support pupils with additional learning needs. They plan school places, including Welsh-medium places under a ten-year plan.
The Cabinet decides on school changes, such as opening, closing or merging schools, after a formal consultation. Head teachers and governing bodies run each school day to day.
Proposals to change a school must be consulted on, and anyone can respond. Parents can also become school governors.
| Council | Items | With a decision |
|---|---|---|
| Powys | 102 | 75 |
| Carmarthenshire | 93 | 74 |
| Pembrokeshire | 67 | 60 |
| Swansea | 64 | 41 |
| Flintshire | 63 | 48 |
| Cardiff | 53 | 50 |
| Caerphilly | 53 | 0 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 52 | 46 |
| Monmouthshire | 48 | 12 |
| Ceredigion | 44 | 38 |
| Gwynedd | 43 | 38 |
| Newport | 43 | 22 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 42 | 28 |
| Conwy | 40 | 36 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 39 | 28 |
| Wrexham | 36 | 32 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 29 | 24 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 27 | 25 |
| Denbighshire | 22 | 17 |
| Bridgend | 18 | 0 |
| Torfaen | 10 | 7 |
Decided: The Committee accepted the reasons for not submitting the report and agreed a revised submission date of January 2027. The minute records a unanimous decision.
Decided: The Committee unanimously agreed to receive the report on ALN learner travel provision. The minute records no other decision.
Decided: The minute records no formal decision. Members asked that future revenue monitoring reports show how savings are profiled through the year, and include information on home-to-school transport costs linked to school reorganisation. Officers agreed to consider how future reports could show more on savings and the delivery of budget cuts.
Decided: The minute records four recommendations the Committee made to Cabinet on the revenue forecast. They ask for a dedicated report on the Crickhowell arrangements, a stronger business case and governance framework for school-run commercial ventures, profiled savings and risks in monitoring reports, and the financial effect of school reorganisation on transport spending.
Decided: The minute records no formal decision on the report. Officers agreed to consider clearer capital monitoring information, more project detail, earlier scrutiny of the Strategic Outline Programme (SOP), and clearer environmental and carbon information. Officers also undertook to correct inaccuracies in the climate change section.
Decided: The committee supported the Annual Performance Report 2025/26, noting the performance achieved during the year. The vote was recorded. Four councillors voted in favour (Tina Claydon, Gladys Healey, Billy Mullin and Allan Marshall). Four voted against (Helen Brown, David Coggins Cogan, Alasdair Ibbotson and Ian Hodge). Two abstained (Ryan McKeown and Rob Davies). The Chair's casting vote was in favour, so the recommendation was carried. Councillor Ibbotson's proposal that the committee not support the report in its current form, and that it add areas for improvement in Place & Growth and Education & Youth, was defeated.
Decided: The sub-committee supported the recommendation and passed it to the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee.
Decided: The Committee agreed that the Chairperson will write to the Cabinet Member with the Committee's comments and observations.
Decided: The Committee agreed that the Chairperson will write to the Cabinet Member with the Committee's comments and observations.
Decided: The committee agreed to recommend that the Home to School and Post 16 Transport Policy 2027/2028 be approved. Recommending means the decision goes forward to the body that can approve it.
Decided: The committee agreed to recommend that the information in the report be accepted (Option 1). Councillor H. Trollope had proposed an alternative, Option 3, to defer the report pending further background information. This was seconded and a vote was taken. The minute does not give the vote result.
Decided: It approved an initial £2m, with the fund topped up through the annual budget. Services, including schools, can apply for either an interest free loan, which must be repaid, or an investment grant. Bids under £250k will be approved by the Chief Executive and Director of Corporate Services, and bids over £250k by the Cabinet Member for Resources. Business cases will be checked by the Commercialisation Board, and progress will be reported to the Transformation Board every quarter.
Decided: The Cabinet adopted the revised School Transport Policy from 1 October 2026, for the 2027/28 academic year. Free home to school transport will be based on attendance at the designated catchment school, and entitlement to transport to the nearest school is removed. Officers were authorised to publish the policy by 1 October 2026.
RESOLVED (a) That the intention of the Notice of Motion and the work already commissioned by the Governance and Audit Committee and Internal Audit be supported and endorsed. (b) That the independent and impartial assurance role of those bodies be noted. (c) That a further report be brought back to Cabinet following completion of the two audit reviews identifying lessons learned and proposed corrective actions. (d) That any conduct or capability concerns relating to officers be referred to the Chief Executive and any concerns relating to elected members be referred to the Monitoring Officer for advice.
RESOLVED That approval be given for officers to prepare a Strategic Outline Case for Ysgol Bro Preseli, based on option 2, and bring it back to a future meeting of Cabinet for approval to submit to Welsh Government.
RESOLVED That delegated authority be granted to the Director of Education (or person authorised by them) to award grants to childcare settings to deliver the Flying Start funded childcare offer up to the end of the 2027/28 financial year.
Decided: Members delegated to the Head of Environment Department the power to approve the application, subject to a Section 106 agreement (a legal deal in which the developer pays towards local services) or a unilateral agreement for an education contribution and play equipment on the open space, and to conditions. A proposal to refuse the application fell on a recorded vote, with 6 in favour and 9 against.
Decided: The meeting approved the appointment of school governors, as set out in the agenda pack.
Decided: Council adopted the motion. It agreed to build on existing work with partners in the region and across Wales. It also agreed that the Leader will write to the First Minister, asking that councils receive a substantial share of any additional learning needs funding the UK Government passes to Wales.
Decided: The Committee recommended that the equalities survey include clearer options on neurodivergence (how a person's brain processes and learns differently), mental health and physical disabilities, as some people may not identify with these under a single disability category. It asked that future reports include more outcome-focused data to show the impact and effectiveness of projects. It noted that useful equalities data from schools is limited, which restricts how far outcomes and impact can be assessed. It recommended that future reports point to relevant education data in the plan where this would add context on outcomes and impact. It noted the report showed a clear commitment to equalities and said it was content with the report.
RESOLVED: That the spending of the £120K feasibility budget on the Transitioning Schools from Liquid Fossil Fuels project to support the development of a pipeline of twenty capital projects, be endorsed subject to the final approval of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee.
Decided: Cabinet authorised Council officers to work with partners, including the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) and Coleg Ceredigion, to develop proposals for a vocational education centre on the Lampeter campus.
Decided: Members approved the application, in line with the officer recommendation.