County Hall

COUNTY COUNCILLORS have succeeded in a bid to call in for scrutiny the decision by the Council’s Cabinet to shut Learning Centres in Pembroke Dock and Fishguard.

East Williamston representative Jacob Williams was behind the original move to subject the Cabinet’s pronouncement to proper examination by a meeting of the Older Person’s Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Committee members Jonathan Preston, Peter Stock, Vivien Stoddart, and Tessa Hodgson provided the necessary signatures to ensure the meeting was called.

The Pembrokeshire Herald’s latest edition (Feb 13) reveals that Fishguard were not told of the threat to axe the town’s Learning Centre.

Cllr Williams has provided detailed reasons to support the call-in for scrutiny and criticises the short time frame before the closures take place and the lack of consultation before the recommendation was rubber-stamped by the Cabinet on Monday, February 9.

In his letter to Acting Head of Legal Services Claire Incledon, Jacob Williams says: ‘A bold claim is made within the report that “there will be no impact from these changes on the range of courses or opportunities that Learning Pembrokeshire offers” – given the uncertainty over the future locations of buildings and the facilities that may or not be available, I don’t believe this claim is sustainable and the viability of all current classes switching to alternative buildings appears not to have been assessed.’

Councillor Williams told The Herald: “Other than a claimed saving, there isn’t a single other pound sign or figure in the rest of the report to justify closing these learning centres throughout the county. If it’s about saving money then they need to be up-front with the figures and show their workings out.”

He continued: “None of the financials behind this decision have been appraised, or if they have, none of this was reported by officers to cabinet. Nor has an impact assessment been undertaken. That’s simply not good enough. The people of Pembrokeshire, who this decision will affect, deserve better. Decisions should be made after consultation and based on proper evidence, and not some doodles on the back of an envelope.”

In his call in request, Cllr Williams goes on to point out that the closure of the centres may be the thin end of a further round of cuts.

Speaking of the closure of Tenby’s Learning Centre, Cllr Williams expressed his concerns that the closure of the service in Tenby, housed in the same building as the library and youth club, ‘could lead to the unsustainability and therefore eventual closure of the library.’

He concludes: ‘I believe that the consultation to date on all aspects of the closures has been inadequate. Local members have not been consulted. As part of my call-in, which is endorsed by four committee members, I hope an invite will be extended to any councillor who wishes to address the committee on this call-in, as the decision has the potential to affect residents from across all of the county’s sixty electoral divisions.’

In the letter agreeing to call the requested meeting, Susan Sanders, the Committee Services Officer for the Council states: “It has been determined the matter falls within the remit of both the Older Persons, Health and Well-being Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee and, therefore, a joint meeting of both Committees will be called.”