CALLS for the resignation of Councillor Liz Hacket Pain, the Monmouthshire cabinet member with responsibility for education are expected to be debated at a meeting of the authority today (Thursday)

Following the authority's damning Estyn report, which judged that its educational services were unsatisfactory, opposition members from the Labour and Independent groups have called for Monmouthshire's cabinet member for education to resign - a suggestion which has not found favour with the longstanding councillor.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Councillor Liz Hacket Pain told the Chronicle, "I am not resigning my post. We have had a number of issues highlighted by the Estyn inspection and some of these measures have already been resolved."

However Welsh education minister Leighton Andrews painted a different picture when he told the Welsh Government on Tuesday that Estyn had carried out inspections of 18 local authorities that had resulted in two needing significant improvements and five requiring special measures.

He said, "The picture is bleak, with just under half of those local authorities inspected so far in a formal Estyn category.

"This situation is unacceptable, and I expect to see action from all in local government. I expect council leaders to look at the evidence provided in the Estyn reports and take similar decisive and immediate action to tackle the weaknesses in their authorities.

"These Estyn reports leave little doubt about the scale of challenge ahead and I have, and will continue, to take decisive action in the interests of learners in Wales."

The Monmouthshire authority has put in place a new senior management team and it has appointed a new director of education who will start in May.

Councillor Hacket Pain said, "This situation can only improve as our new team will be in place shortly to provide the leadership required and they can focus on putting right the measures that are not working.

"Whilst we were judged as good, the report suggests we are not good enough and we have to do better. The report recognises we provide the best education in Wales however we still need to up our game and face new challenges.

"The 21st Century schools programme is still on track to build four new comprehensive schools. That commitment has never altered. We are proud of our new school buildings like Deri View and Llanfoist Fawr Primary Schools.

"However, we cannot ignore Estyn, even though we dislike the free-school-meal entitlement to assess the status of a school.

"Because we are a small authority partnership working is probably the only way forward and this is already dictating how we work."

But Mr Andrews has warned that local councils in Wales could lose responsibility for running schools as part of a wide-ranging review.

He suggested that the fragmentation of education services with the creation of 22 councils in the mid-1990s was a factor behind a downturn in performance by pupils a decade later.

Asked if the educational consortium which sees Newport, Caerphilly, Torfaen and Monmouthshire authorities already working together on in certain areas, could see the reformation of the old Gwent Educational Authority, Councillor Hacket Pain said she would not want to see MCC give up its 'sovereignty of schools'.

"We are very good at creating various initiatives, but it has been pointed out that we often don't implement many of these findings.

"This will change and I am sure the outcome after November's inspection will be completely different to what we are going through now after the implementation of our action plan, " said Councillor Hacket Pain.