Sixth form consultation to restart: Pembrokeshire College waits for students

A LETTER from the principal of Pembrokeshire College, Sharron Lusher, to Council Chief Ian Westley has raised the spectre that the Welsh Government has already made a provisional decision on sixth form reorganisation in Pembrokeshire.

The purpose of the primary legislation setting out the law and regulations covering such reorganisation is that decisions are taken locally, with the Welsh Government making an independent final decision on all proposals affecting both Welsh Medium Education and sixth forms. Any sense that the Welsh Government has indicated a preference for one proposal over another would be lethal for the integrity of the whole process.

The letter, dated September 24, 2015 responds to a request that the College consider a compromise in order to try and resolve the complications that had arisen in respect of the site of Tasker-Milward School.

The letter states: “[… ]The Welsh Government has made clear their preferred solution. The College concurs with the […] Welsh Government that the proposals which have been promulgated by the Council, are the optimum solution for the County.”

The letter concludes: “The County Council in their deliberations should recognise that the compromise is suboptimal. For this reason, the Welsh Government (who have made clear their preferred solution) may not be in agreement from both an educational and financial perspective”.

We sent a copy of the letter to the Welsh Government and suggested that its content showed that far from being a disinterested party the Welsh Government has essentially directed and predetermined the outcome of any reorganisation.

Setting aside the fact that the reference to the recommendation made by the external experts’ report, we asked the Minister to comment on precisely what ‘preferred solution’ the Welsh Government has intimated it wants.

We invited the Welsh Government to make an unconditional disavowal of the letter’s content and to deny that at any stage it has told either Pembrokeshire College or Pembrokeshire County Council that it has a ‘preferred solution’.

And a Welsh Government spokesperson obliged: “The Welsh Government has consistently made clear in its communications with all parties that this is a decision for the local authority. We do not have a ‘preferred solution’ nor have we predetermined the outcome. This has been reiterated by the Welsh Government in all relevant meetings as each proposal is assessed at the appropriate time based on the evidence provided.

“Given the Minister’s role in the statutory process, it would be inappropriate to comment on the merits of any reorganisation proposals.”

Following the unconditional nature of the Welsh Government’s response, we wrote to College Principal Sharron Lusher and asked her to explain why the content of the letter was mutually exclusive with the Welsh Government statement.

The Principal responded saying: “For the avoidance of doubt, the position of the Welsh Government regarding reorganisation, set out in the statement from Huw Lewis’ office, confirms our understanding. This understanding has not changed and the reference in my letter to Ian Westley does not contradict that understanding.

“As you are aware, the context for the letter is Pembrokeshire County Council seeking a compromise solution with the Trustees of the Tasker Milward and Picton Charity, which would allow the development of a new school on the Tasker Milward site. Pembrokeshire College’s Principal and Chairman were invited to a meeting by Ian Westley on 17th September 2015, at which we were asked to consider potential solutions for the co-location of facilities.

“The reference in my letter to a ‘preferred solution’ is in this context. In discussions on governance structures for potential solutions, the Welsh Government has emphasised that any solution should minimise the duplication of activity. This was clarified fully in the meeting with Ian Westley referred to in my letter, hence the references to ‘sub optimal’ solutions, which could arise if co-location resulted in duplicated activities.”

It seems peculiar that the interpretation placed upon the letter by Ms Lusher was not duplicated in the response from the Welsh Government. Had the Welsh Government’s input merely been as Ms Lusher suggests, the question arises as to why it did not say so for itself. In addition, Ms Lusher’s comment as to what constituted the limited nature of the Welsh Government’s preferred solution leaves two questions open:

Firstly, what was the Welsh Government doing expressing any preference in a consultation in which it is supposed to take no part at all, even on the limited basis Ms Lusher suggests?

Ms Lusher’s words are suggestive of an element of foresight on the Welsh Government’s part about a decision to be made by the local authority entirely independently of both the College and the Government. The arrangements for governance post-reorganisation are part of the public consultation, not something to be the subject of a ‘preferred solution’ by the department supposed to determine it.

Secondly, and it follows from the first question and flows from the context in which the letter was sent, what other input about the mechanics of reorganisation post-consultation has the Welsh Government had?

Even the least bad answer, that the letter’s author and the Welsh Government are at cross purposes as to what constitutes ‘a preferred solution’, leaves both the College (or at least Ms Lusher) and the Welsh Government in a difficult position.

Both Ms Lusher’s letter and her subsequent statement allow the reasonable inference to be drawn that, in the context of the proposals and counter-proposals made in a live consultation, the Welsh Government made clear its ‘preferred solution’ in respect of their resolution, or at least one element to be resolved. Ms Lusher’s statement this week does nothing to conclude that issue: it is at least arguable it makes the position worse by making it clear – beyond doubt – that the Welsh Government did intervene at a crucial juncture and told the Council what it wanted.

And that goes to the heart of the good faith of the whole process: and that includes the process involving Ysgol Bro Gwaun and Ysgol Dewi Sant.

Both Ms Lusher’s letter and her response to this newspaper fatally undermine the Welsh Government’s contrary statement.

That is, if one accepts Ms Lusher’s words at their face value.

Or, indeed, those of the Welsh Government.

The Council is meeting next Thursday to discuss the next steps for the troubled consultation.