James Evans has called for action over a damning Estyn report into Powys County Council’s education service, urging the Welsh Government to “step in and deal with the Liberal Democrats in Powys once and for all.”

The Conservative Brecon and Radnorshire MS asked at the Senedd this week for an “urgent statement” from Education Secretary, Lynne Neagle, on the report.

The Estyn report, published last week, found Powys County Council was "causing significant concern" in its delivery of education. Inspectors criticised leadership at all levels, highlighting weaknesses in school improvement teams and post-16 education provision, as well as urgent site security issues in several schools.

The report also raised concerns about the council’s ability to provide adequate support for additional learning needs (ALN) services.

The report has sparked significant fallout, with opposition groups calling for a special meeting to discuss the crisis and many calling for resignations within the council’s leadership.

On Monday, plans for an extraordinary meeting of the full council were announced by the leader, in response to the report.

Yesterday, Mr Evans told the Senedd said the report highlighted what many parents and teachers have told him and others - “that education in Powys, under the Liberal Democrats, is failing.”

Mr Evans said: “The report highlighted political leadership as one of the failures in the report. What we're seeing is the council, led by the Lib Dems, running those services into the ground.

“Can we please have an urgent statement on this matter? Do you not agree with me, Trefnydd, that the time has come to look at putting commissioners into Powys County Council?

“It is clear that the Liberal Democrats are a party of protest - they're not a party for delivering for the people I serve.

“I think it's about time that the Welsh Government grasped the nettle, stepped in and dealt with the Liberal Democrats in Powys once and for all.”

The Trefnydd, Jane Hutt, said the Government was aware that the outcome of Estyn's recent inspection of the Powys education service wasn't positive, and the local authority is judged to be causing concern.

She told Mr Evans: “This is a disappointing outcome. Regular independent inspection of a local authority is a fundamental part of the accountability system, but also plays a major role in driving and directing improvements.

“Estyn has made a number of recommendations. There now is a process to follow.

“The local authority will produce a post-inspection action plan and set out how it intends to address the recommendations set out in the report.

“Estyn will undertake a series of monitoring visits to measure progress, and this is a fully transparent process.

“But senior officials of the Education Secretary are in regular contact with the leadership at Powys and Estyn to ensure that the local authority also receives the support it needs to improve.”