County councillors are expected to lock horns today over controversial proposals placing Abergavenny’s multimillion-pound King Henry VIII school development ahead of a project in Chepstow.

Monmouthshire County Council decided last month to push forward plans for a major redevelopment of the local comprehensive, relegating redevelopments at Chepstow School to ‘third phase’ status, which could leave the school in limbo until 2028.

Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, leader of the Labour group, will issue a motion later today asking why the decision was made without full council scrutiny, adding that the move ‘sets a worrying precedence’.

Speaking ahead of the full council meeting, Councillor Batrouni said he was in support of the plans, yet his issue fell with what he termed a ‘lack of democracy’.

“No councillor was informed about this decision until one and a half months after it was decided. The criteria is fine. I agree that Abergavenny needs a new school. ??“It’s the democratic element that has been carved out. It doesn’t sit comfortably with me. It’s not right that councillors have had no say in this. I would be saying the same thing if Chepstow had been pushed ahead of Abergavenny. It’s not right that councillors have been cut out of the process.”

Chepstow councillors signed a letter last month, calling the news a ‘slap in the face for staff, pupils and parents’ after it was argued that King Henry VIII school should be priority due to its ‘poor condition’ and higher level of pupils receiving free school meals – a marker of deprivation.

However, the caucus warned recently that delaying the Chepstow rebuild for what could be ten years, would lead to a ‘spiral of decline’.

Despite harbouring opposition, Conservative Councillor Paul Pavia, of Larkfield Ward, said the fight was likely futile, but disagreed with the decision-making process, echoing Labour’s Cllr Batrouni.

“In terms of Thursday, I don’t think it’s going to open up the decision that has been made by Cabinet,” he said.

 

“Some councillors may want to try and play that out again and that’s understandable, but, I think it’s about the process by which the decision was made, which does need to be challenged.

“Why weren’t the cluster of local elected representatives consulted about the Council’s thinking?

 

“I made my arguments at the Cabinet meeting. I still stick by those arguments as to why I thought the Abergavenny decision was not sound.”

The controversy has supporters and opponents within both the Welsh Conservative, and Labour parties, at Monmouthshire County Council. Another councillor told the Chronicle that the ‘majority’ at MCC was onboard with the plans.

Councillor Richard John, a Conservative for Mitchel Troy ward, urged unity after saying warring factions are risking the entire project.

“The timing of this is critical,” he said. “We would have a much better chance at success if we were unified on this issue. I don’t understand why some in the Labour group are kicking up a fuss now, at such a sensitive stage. I think they’ve slept on the job.”

?Abergavenny councillor Martyn Groucutt said the change of plan was ‘unfortunate’ for Chepstow-based councillors, but the needs of Abergavenny came first after councillors scrutinised the matter. ??“As chair of the children and young persons’ committee, I think the case for Abergavenny is overwhelming,” he said. “I do feel sorry for Chepstow, but the fact is that of the four comprehensives in Monmouthshire, King Henry is top of the ‘deprived league’ with its numbers on free school meals. In Monmouthshire, we do have some of the wealthiest families, but some primary schools (which feed King Henry School) have 42 per cent eligible for free school meals.

“The redevelopment, I hope, would get some of those kids to think they can do what they’re indeed capable of, with a new building fit for purpose.”??The plans would see a substantial £45m funnelled to a root and branch development of the comprehensive, and a new Welsh language primary school built under the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme, in which government would provide half the money.

The programme has allocated millions for ‘long-term and strategic’ investment in Welsh schools to modernise buildings and facilities, as fundamental reforms bestride the Welsh education system.

A report discussed by councillors last month said both schools needed redevelopment, but argued that King Henry VIII should get priority owing to its building condition. Councillors also contended that Abergavenny’s hosting of the National Eisteddfod allowed the authority to build on its Welsh language aims with the creation of a new home for the over subscribed Ysgol Gymraeg y Fenni.

Another point suggested the abolition of tolls on the Severn Crossings anticipated an increase in Chepstow residents, a notion ‘difficult to predict’, and grounds to move the Chepstow School development to a Band C status, giving King Henry VIII priority.