Janet Finch-Saunders, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy sent a letter yesterday to the Minister for Education Jeremy Miles expressing her concern about the educational cuts being proposed by Conwy County Borough Council.
In a recent budget proposal, Conwy Council have outlined that they will be cutting the educational budget by 6-10%. As pointed out in a letter signed by every headteacher in Conwy, this comes at a time when schools are already facing significant financial hardships and poses a real threat to many additional services that children rely on across Conwy.
Janet’s office has had a great number of constituents getting in touch with her to express their own condemnation for the cuts. These cuts will have far-reaching consequences not only for those children who need special educational needs but also those receiving a Welsh medium education.
The sad fact is that Conwy Council are facing a £25m hole in their finances. It appears that years of financial mismanagement have led to this funding shortfall, such as their new headquarters costing £1.4m a year in rent for 40 years, £160,000 public loo vanity projects and poor due diligence on leasing industrial units costing £240,000 annually.
The Welsh Government is also to blame as they have provided the lowest increase settlement of only £3,975 million from 2023-24, an increase of 2% on 2022/23. There is no doubt that the funding allocation is out of date, using data from 1991 – something must be done about this.
Commenting on this Janet said:
“It is absolutely heartbreaking to see Conwy Council gamble with the future of our children like this. This was also completely avoidable, if the Council got their spending in check then we might have been celebrating an increase in the educational budget.
“There are a multitude of factors that have led us to this point but there is no doubt in my mind that poor decision making on behalf of Conwy Council is the fundamental reason why we are in the mess we are today. It is totally unfair that our children will be the ones who suffer the most.
“We are at a crucial moment, and it is paramount that we make the right decision for the children of Conwy. Conwy Council and the Welsh Government need to step up to protect and preserve the future of education in Conwy.”
ENDS
Photo: Janet Finch-Saunders MS
Document: Letter to Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Ddoe, fe wnaeth Janet Finch-Saunders, yr Aelod o’r Senedd dros Aberconwy, anfon llythyr at y Gweinidog Addysg Jeremy Miles yn mynegi ei phryder am y toriadau mewn addysg sy'n cael eu cynnig gan Gyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy.
Mewn cynnig cyllideb diweddar, mae Cyngor Conwy wedi amlinellu y byddan nhw'n torri'r gyllideb addysg gan 6-10%. Fel y nodwyd mewn llythyr a lofnodwyd gan bob pennaeth yng Nghonwy, daw hyn ar adeg pan fo ysgolion eisoes yn wynebu caledi ariannol sylweddol ac mae’n fygythiad gwirioneddol i lawer o’r gwasanaethau ychwanegol y mae plant yn dibynnu arnyn nhw ledled Conwy.
Mae nifer fawr o etholwyr wedi cysylltu â swyddfa Janet i gondemnio’r toriadau. Bydd y toriadau hyn yn arwain at ganlyniadau pellgyrhaeddol nid yn unig i'r plant hynny ag anghenion addysgol arbennig ond hefyd i'r rhai sy'n derbyn addysg trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.
Y gwir trist amdani yw bod Cyngor Conwy yn wynebu diffyg o £25m yn eu cyllid. Mae'n ymddangos bod blynyddoedd o gamreoli ariannol wedi arwain at y diffyg ariannol hwn, megis eu pencadlys newydd sy’n costio £1.4m y flwyddyn mewn rhent am 40 mlynedd, £160,000 wedi ei wario ar brosiectau tai bach cyhoeddus ffol a diwydrwydd dyladwy gwael ar brydlesu unedau diwydiannol sy'n costio £240,000 y flwyddyn.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd ar fai gan mai nhw sydd wedi darparu'r setliad gyda’r cynnydd isaf o ddim ond £3,975 miliwn o gymharu â 2023-24, cynnydd o 2% ers 2022/23. Does dim dwywaith bod y dyraniad ariannu wedi dyddio, gan ddefnyddio data o 1991 - rhaid gwneud rhywbeth am hyn.
Gan gyfeirio at hyn, dywedodd Janet:
"Mae'n hollol dorcalonnus gweld Cyngor Conwy yn gamblo gyda dyfodol ein plant fel hyn. Roedd modd osgoi hyn yn llwyr hefyd - pe bai'r Cyngor wedi cael trefn ar eu gwariant yna efallai y byddem wedi dathlu cynnydd yn y gyllideb addysg.
"Mae yna lu o ffactorau sydd wedi ein harwain at y pwynt hwn ond does dim amheuaeth gen i mai penderfyniadau gwael Cyngor Conwy yw'r prif reswm pam ein bod ni yn y twll hwn. Mae'n gwbl annheg mai ein plant ni fydd y rhai a fydd yn dioddef fwyaf.
"Mae’n gyfnod tyngedfennol, ac mae'n hollbwysig ein bod yn gwneud y penderfyniad cywir i blant Conwy. Mae angen i Gyngor Conwy a Llywodraeth Cymru gamu i'r adwy i amddiffyn a gwarchod dyfodol addysg yng Nghonwy."
DIWEDD
Ffoto: Janet Finch-Saunders AS
Dogfen: Llythyr at Jeremy Miles AS, Gweinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg
