Ceredigion Council Reverses Closure Plans for Four Rural Primary Schools

Ceredigion Council has announced that four primary schools in rural mid Wales, previously facing closure, will remain operational. The council had previously indicated its intention to close these schools, citing reasons such as declining pupil numbers and insufficient funding. In September, over 150 individuals protested against the proposed closures, which were slated to take effect in August 2025. During a meeting held on Tuesday, the council stated that an informal consultation would be conducted instead, aimed at collecting feedback from the local communities. Several backbench councillors, speaking at a meeting in Aberaeron on Tuesday, expressed concerns that public confidence in Ceredigion Council’s procedures has diminished. These remarks followed a legal challenge concerning the council’s proposed closures of the four rural primary schools next year, a challenge that resulted in the council reversing its previous plans. Legal representatives for the four schools—Ysgol Craig yr Wylfa in Borth, Ysgol Llangwyryfon, Ysgol Syr John Rhys in Ponterwyd, and Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn—sought a judicial review of the proposals at the high court in Cardiff. Their challenge specifically targeted the council’s timeline for the school reorganisation process and certain elements of the consultation documents. Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, the chairs of the governing bodies of the four schools dispatched a letter to cabinet members, alleging that senior council officers “misled” councillors before a pivotal vote in September regarding the schools’ future. The letter from the governors further alleged that the council’s Chief Executive, Eifion Evans, and Corporate Director, Barry Rees, presented “misrepresentations” to the cabinet. Hugh Hughes, the representative for Borth, stated: “I’ve been in public service for over 40 years now and I don’t think I’ve ever been in an organisation that has got the total lack of trust that we seem to have currently with the public. “There have been serious allegations made, I don’t know if they are true or not. “I think we need some sort of independent review to look at these serious allegations that are being made, to restore public confidence in this council.” Councillor Marc Davies, representing the Ciliau Aeron ward, commented: “What worries me more than anything in this process is the loss of confidence among the public in us as councillors, the cabinet and in the officers. It’s clear.”