Powys secondary and primary schools have a £77m maintenance backlog, the council’s new Cabinet has revealed.
Initial discussions between the new Cabinet and senior officers have revealed startling figures about the condition of the county’s schools, with £47m needed for secondary schools and £30m for primary schools.
“The startling figure will provide the incoming Administration with major challenges while we implement the Progressive Partnership Agreement and accelerate the delivery of the Transformation Strategy that provides a more sustainable future for our schools and communities,” said Council Leader, Cllr James Gibson-Watt.
Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, Cllr Pete Roberts said: “It is clear that successive Cabinets have not taken the decisions needed to address the deterioration in Powys’ school estate, especially in the secondary sector, and some tough decisions lie ahead in dealing with this major problem.”
Commenting on the figures, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation, Cllr David Thomas, added: “These are startling figures and the most concerning aspect is that this is just the schools backlog. Figures on other service areas are awaited and what the figures confirm is that the Progressive Partnership’s plan to review the Council’s current capital programme is all the more urgently needed.”
