Councillor will not resign despite critical report

A Powys councillor responsible for education said he will not resign despite an Estyn report which highly criticised the service.

Opposition councillors called on Pete Roberts, who has the education portfolio, to resign in a meeting in Llandrindod Wells on Thursday.

Roberts told the meeting he would not step down while he had the confidence of the council leader and its cabinet.

In its report, Estyn said that Powys council "causes significant concern" in relation to its education services.

Jeremy Pugh from the independents group requested a confidence vote in Roberts, which was seconded by Conservative councillor Aled Davies.

However, the chair of the council said a motion of confidence should have been tabled before 17:00 BST on the day prior to the meeting.

Some councillors also expressed a lack of confidence in the council leader James Gibson-Watt, Liberal Democrat who leads a partnership with the Labour group which jointly runs Powys Council.

"This shouldn't be about having a go at each other. It's about achieving consensus and making improvements.

"I have apologised to parents and pupils that we as a council have not supported them as we should," said Gibson-Watt.

The Estyn inspector made four recommendations with the first calling on Powys council to urgently address "important school site security issues."

During Thursday's meeting, the council heard that the cost of making these improvements across Powys is £1.6m, and that the council hopes to complete the improvements in the next year.

The report also recommended strengthening the quality and impact of leadership, including political leadership, at all levels.

It also included strengthening the quality of support and challenge schools to improve outcomes for all learners, including those with additional learning needs.

The fourth recommendation was for a financially viable and sustainable model for 16-19 education.

In response to the report the council has formed an accelerated improvement board to draw up an action plan and implement Estyn's recommendations.

Emma Palmer, the council chief, is chair of the accelerated improvement board, which had its first meeting on 2 April.

Ms Palmer added that the board has to deliver a wider improvement plan which goes beyond the four recommendations made in the Estyn report.