PEMBROKESHIRE’S Conservative councillors, and the majority of members of the Independent Pembrokeshire Group have voted to reduce the tax burden for second home owners in a vote at a meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council this week.

The Pembrokeshire cabinet, comprised of unaffiliated, Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru members put forward plans to retain the premium at the current rate of 200% – securing investment in new homes and supporting expenditure on front line public services.

Labour says that Pembrokeshire County Council already faces a financial black hole next year – with current estimates showing a funding shortfall of more than £30million. 

Earlier in the meeting the Pembrokeshire Conservatives led by Cllr Di Clements put forward a proposal to slash the premium by 100% which councillors were told would cut £5.2 million from next years budget.

In putting forward the case for continuing with a 200% premium, Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Josh Beynon said: This policy enables the council to raise funds that are then split between affordable housing and funding frontline services, in particular, those services that have been negatively impacted by the number of second homes, particularly, schools. In the 2024/25 budget, 6.5 million of those funds raised went to local schools, money that will not be available in the same numbers for the next year. This funding for 24/25 also included more money for public toilets, street cleansing and parks. Now we have a situation led by Cllr Huw Murphy that means the gap for the budget is £2.6 million larger than it was yesterday.’

Leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Paul Miller asked for evidence that, since the introduction of the premium, there had indeed been a negative impact on the tourism industry.   He said: Tourism is an important industry for Pembrokeshire and one we are of course keen to support. That said, given that by definition the accommodation units affected by this premium are either sporadically occupied second homes or holiday let’s which are empty at least half of the year, I’ve not yet heard an argument that clearly articulates the negative impact of this policy on the tourism sector. More often the concerns I hear from tourism operators are around the lack of labour supply, which is absolutely linked to housing supply, that concerns about this policy.

Cllr Marc Tierney said that he had sympathy for second home owners who had inherited a property and the council should continue to support them where possible, however he cautioned the opposition that they will need to take seriously discussions around the forthcoming council budget and be realistic that council tax rises were inevitable given the tax break given to second home owners.

Supported by the Pembrokeshire Conservatives, Cllr Huw Murphy on behalf of the Independent Group put forward a reduction in the second home premium to 150% voted through by a small margin.  Cllr Murphy strongly supported the introduction of the 200% premium which came into effect only 7 months ago.

THE Welsh Language Commissioner has criticized Ceredigion County Council for failing to meet Welsh Language Standards in its consultation process over the proposed closure of Ysgol Llangwyryfon, a Welsh-medium school. This oversight has prompted concerns over the potential impact on the use of the Welsh language among children in the rural area.

In a recent letter addressed to Mr. Nudd Lewis, the Chair of Governors at Ysgol Llangwyryfon, Welsh Language Commissioner Efa Gruffudd Jones emphasized that the council’s consultation document did not properly account for the impact of the school’s closure on the use of Welsh as the primary language in the playground. If the school closes, students would be relocated to Ysgol Llanilar, where Welsh is not as widely spoken among pupils.

The council, in its correspondence with the Commissioner’s office, acknowledged its failure to comply with the Welsh Language Standards. It committed to revising the Impact Assessment, ensuring it aligns with the requirements, and publishing the updated version. The council also promised to extend the consultation period to allow for further community feedback, a decision welcomed by the Commissioner.

Due to the council’s willingness to rectify its mistakes, the Welsh Language Commissioner decided that a formal investigation would not be necessary. “The council’s commitment to address these issues promptly makes an investigation redundant,” stated Efa Gruffudd Jones.

The future of Ysgol Llangwyryfon is part of a broader review of rural schools in Ceredigion, with Ysgol Craig-yr-Wylfa and Ysgol Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn also facing potential closure. An upcoming consultation concerning Ysgol Syr John Rhys in Ponterwyd is expected later this month, following preliminary discussions with the Church in Wales.

The handling of the consultation process has drawn criticism from local community groups. Jeff Smith, Chair of the Ceredigion branch of Cymdeithas yr Iaith, condemned the council’s approach: “This is another instance where the council has pushed forward with school closures without fully considering their impact or exploring alternative solutions. The council should halt these consultations and engage in genuine dialogue with the communities to find a way forward that respects the needs of rural Welsh speakers.”

Local councillor Gwyn Wigley Evans expressed disappointment in the council’s approach but welcomed the efforts to amend the consultation process. “It is regrettable that the council did not comply initially, but I am pleased that they are now taking steps to correct this oversight,” he said.

The consultation period, initially launched on October 14th, has been extended after it emerged that the necessary documents were not uploaded to the appropriate section of the council’s website until the following evening. This delay and subsequent extension have heightened scrutiny over the council’s adherence to consultation protocols, with a formal complaint already lodged with the Welsh Government’s Education Secretary.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s complaint alleges that the council’s primary motive for the school closures was financial, rather than prioritizing the educational needs of students. They argue that the council failed to give due consideration to alternatives in the early stages of planning, potentially undermining the spirit of fair consultation.

As the debate continues, the future of Welsh-medium education in Ceredigion remains uncertain, with local communities advocating for decisions that will preserve the linguistic heritage of the region.

THE NUMBER of children recorded as having additional learning needs has almost halved under Welsh Government reforms due to “systematic underfunding”, a committee warned.

Buffy Williams led a debate on the education committee’s interim report amid a Senedd-long inquiry investigating the Welsh Government’s sweeping changes to educational support.

The additional learning needs (ALN) reforms have been replacing the old special educational needs (SEN) system in phases over four school years from 2021.

Ms Williams, who chairs the committee, said: “So, what have we found? To be blunt, the additional learning needs reforms are not going as planned.”

She raised concerns about a 44% fall in the number of pupils recorded as having SEN or ALN during the transition which is entering its final year.

She told the Senedd: “This reduction appears to be driven by a decrease in the number of pupils identified as having low to moderate SEN or ALN.

“At no point during the passing of the ALN bill did the Welsh Government anticipate that the reforms would almost halve the numbers of children identified as having additional needs.

“In fact, the Welsh Government repeatedly asserted that it would have no impact on the total numbers of children identified as having ALN or SEN.”

Ms Williams said the committee struggled to believe arguments that SEN was previously over-reported or that “universal” provision is sufficiently inclusive.

The reason committee members found most convincing was schools and councils lacking the required resources to give every child an individual development plan.

Ms Williams told the debating chamber or Siambr: “This resourcing shortage is the result of years of systematic underfunding of SEN and ALN provision in schools.”

Tom Giffard, the Conservatives’ shadow education secretary, echoed the Labour committee chair’s comments, warning that too many learners are being left behind.

He said: “In 2016/17, there were 92,000 children recognised as having SEN with low to moderate learning difficulties or disabilities. In 2022/23, that’s nearly halved.

“Now, I can’t realistically believe that there are fewer young people today with additional learning needs than there were less than a decade ago.”

Mr Giffard, a former teaching assistant in a Welsh-language primary school, added: “It’s clear that there are huge elements of the system that are not working.

“And that causes frustration for parents, for pupils, for teachers and others who care about these young people who are not getting the support they need.”

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s shadow education secretary, was similarly greatly concerned by the fall in the number of children receiving support.

Calling for adequate funding, he said: “We can’t let these children and young people down.”

Labour’s Hefin David, who is stepping down from the committee for personal reasons, said he had nothing but praise for the ALN support his daughter has received.

“This system has worked for her,” he said while acknowledging that some parents feel they face a “constant battle” for support for their children.

Dr David, who represents Caerphilly, suggested the difficulty is children in a grey area of diagnosis who sit just outside the statutory support that is available.

He told the Senedd: “Giving them the support is the challenge because their needs are very different and diverse.”

Warning that children are falling under the radar, Laura Anne Jones said the reforms are not clear enough, with Wales’ councils interpreting them in 22 different ways.

She raised the impact on parents, saying: “Many felt very isolated and helpless that they didn’t know how to get the support their children needed, and it’s quite heartbreaking.”

Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan said the committee heard children have been traumatised by a lack of support, leading to high absence levels among some pupils with ALN.

Responding to the debate on October 16, Lynne Neagle, who formally accepted most of the committee recommendations, recognised the challenges.

Wales’ education secretary told the Senedd she has listened to feedback that parts of the legislation, which was passed in 2018, are overly complex and unclear.

Ms Neagle said improving collaboration between health and education is a key priority.

The minister pointed to £107m invested in day-to-day revenue support since 2020, with more than £170m in longer-term capital to improve facilities for pupils with ALN.

She said her officials are reviewing how councils fund mainstream schools, with the aim of identifying how much each delegates for ALN.

Ms Neagle highlighted an extra £5m invested in a pay award for schools’ ALN coordinators.

In closing, she said: “I am determined that meeting the needs of learners with ALN remains at the heart of our education reforms.”