Kevin Brennan MP has today welcomed the additional investment in schools by the Welsh Assembly Government following Gordon Brown’s budget.  Under the new proposals an additional £16 million will be invested in schools across Wales, targeted at those schools with the highest number of pupils leaving education with no qualifications.  In real terms this means around an extra £600,000 for pupils in Cardiff West.

Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan said:

“I am thrilled to see the Welsh Assembly Government once again making devolution deliver for the people of Cardiff West.  This extra investment in target schools will enormously benefit my constituents, and shows the benefit of partnership between Labour administrations in Westminster and Cardiff.”

Following yesterday’s leaked documents from Cardiff County Council regarding the repeatedly delayed proposals to restructure the schools in Cardiff, in which schools in Cardiff West could see some of the largest scale changes over the next few years, Kevin Brennan MP has voiced concerns over the proposals.

Kevin Brennan MP continued:

“I am disappointed that these proposals have been leaked and media interviews given by the council leader before the full proposals have been published.

“Until we see the full document it will be difficult to predict the impact on the people of Cardiff West.  I am certain that my constituents will take a keen interest in the proposals and will want answers to their questions:

• what criteria was used to decide which schools will close?
• what is the council going to do to protect the educational welfare of pupils at schools earmarked for closure?
• and ultimately, how will the restructuring proposals benefit their communities?

“I await the publication of the full document and will fully engage with the consultation process.  I will be fighting to ensure that the proposals best serve the educational needs of the pupils of Cardiff West before any other agenda.”