As part of efforts to address the concerns raised in a scathing Estyn inspection report into Powys County Council’s education service, £1.6 million will be spent on upgrading school security.

At an extraordinary meeting of the council on Thursday, April 10, members of the Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet presented their plan to tackle the four recommendations issued by Estyn after the report’s publication last month.

One of those recommendations is to “ensure that the local authority addresses urgently important school site security issues.” This includes a broad range of measures such as fencing, CCTV, lighting, gates, and car park access.

This encompasses a whole range of issues including, fencing, CCTV,  lighting, gates, or car park access.

The security recommendation was addressed by Liberal Democrat councillor Jake Berriman, the Cabinet member for planning and property, who aimed to give councillors “assurance” that the issues are being properly overseen.

Cllr Berriman said his discussions with council staff had focused on “processes, systems and behaviours” in a bid to make the changes “stick.”

Cllr Berriman said: “By way of context, since 2021, the safety of children on school premises across Powys has seen nearly £5.5 million of capital and revenue expenditure invested in safeguarding works.

“Projects coming forward have been identified by individual schools, education service, and by school estates teams, health and safety inspections and Estyn itself.”

He explained that 80 safeguarding issues had been identified and 49 had been “signed off as complete” with a target finishing the rest of the work in the next “six to 12 months.”

Cllr Berriman said: “The total funding needed to deliver these safeguarding projects is around £1.6 million. £350,000 has already been identified in this year’s budget.

“We hope a further £400,000 to £800,000 will come forward in a capital allocation from the Welsh Government in June.”

Cllr Berriman said a proposal would go before the council’s Capital Oversight Board on Monday, April 14, to approve the remediation work ahead of the funding being received.

He acknowledged that this approach puts the council’s own money “at risk” if the funding from Cardiff does not materialise.

Plaid Cymru’s Cllr Gary Mitchell asked: “Is site security seen as schools budget issue or a central council issue - where does the money come from?”

Cllr Berriman said: “It is a collective issue; some are the school’s responsibility and there is a central resource to make sure things are reported and everyone is better aware of these things.”

Powys Independents Cllr Graham Breeze has called for security fencing at Welshpool High School.

Cllr Breeze said that he was “surprised” that Cllr Berriman has taken over responsibility for site security from Cllr Roberts.

Cllr Breeze “I welcome the response - there’s clearly a lot of thought gone into the safety of our schools.

“The lack of safety of the children and staff that this authority is responsible for has been shocking.”