Council Watcher
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The budget for Ty Pawb was based on the car park income doubling – then what happened was the Car Park price war and process were halved. If my maths are right to get to the budget figure they will need four times the level if using the car park was producing at the time when the budget was produced. An impossible figure unless Waterworld and St Georges Crescent are to be closed.
The credentials of any would be volunteer will be based on:
1. How to remain quiet about any problem
2. Be able to be directed by Cllr Hugh Jones
3. Skin of a rhino
4. Learn not to question anything that Council Members or Officers say
5. Learn the art of being able to disappear to avoid the doubters
6. Be prepared to have their personal credibility questionedThe delay in recruiting means the Council don’t have anyone at this stage– wait for an advert to come out for paid Advisory Positions
Cllr Wynn and others including AMs need to realise that they have betrayed over 3000 children in the past 2 years as they have been in schools in Special Measures.
Every child and young person along with their parents should leave their school desks and start protesting as enough is enough. These children and young people are so far behind many of their peers in other areas that it will have an impact for the rest of their lives as the anguish behind those who have had a better education.
As a start, our politicians at all levels need to look very closely at their own children, grandchildren and think about THEIR future- get it right for them and you will get it right for everyone.
Stop blame shifting and start doing something – bring your Councilor to account for their actions- everyone one of them that supported the budget last week is a failing Councillor and deserves to have their own assessment marked down as Fail, Fail, Fail.
Every school is supposed to have at least one LA nominated person on a Governing Body – they do not have to be a Council Member but in most instances they are.
The sux ‘volunteers’ are heading to be the scapegoats for the Council. Bringing in 6 people at this late stage is suicidal for anyone that takes up the roles as ‘experts’ any failure in future will be to do with the experts and not Council Members. This is nothing more than blame shift on the horizon.
Why did the Council nit bring in these volunteer experts at the planning stage — they have no chance of turning the ship around at this late stage- nit lest of all they will never get all the information they need for decision making,
Anyone applying for these roles really needs a sanity check, as they certainly won’t have any business expertise to take on the role- anyone with an ounce of business expertise would not touch with a barge pole…
Hope the quality will mean that it will last more than a month — a spade full of tarmac is not a repair!!
Is it a coincidence that we hear from Don Sturgeon – a voice from the wilderness of the Conservative Party who I believe did not even make a statement after the last Election congratulating their own Council Member successes in Wrexham- that his voice is heard when the Leader of the Conservative Group on the Council Hugh Jones is on holiday and Andrew Atkinson is appointed to the Executive Board. Perhaps you can draw your own conclusions appoint while pulling who’s string.
This new stance from the Conservatives may also indicate that not all is rosy in their camp as they try and take advantage of Cllr Hugh Jones absence- how long will he retain the role of Leader of the Conservative Group on the Council. Watch this space and see how Cllr Jones reacts.
It should not be forgotten that many of the Councillors who voted the budget through that will impact on schools are themselves a Local Authority appointed person to the Governing Body of Schools in Wrexham. As all people on Governing Body are supposed to act in the interest of the school in what they do (this is stated when a Governor goes on Governor Training) then it would be a fair proposition that each school that has a Council Member that effectively voted for the cuts should ask them to step down and get the LA to appoint someone different. The position of a school Governor (or anyone else) who has acted against the schools best interest should go NOW! Let’s see how many of the independents are prepared to step down from their Governor role.
This is not about Party Politics but people understanding when they are in a Public Office position they should uphold the standards of that office and not then be dragged along with the flow.
Let’s see which school Governing Body is brave enough to report their Local Authority appointed Governor to the Council Standards Committee
Matt, I think you have done a good assessment of the situation — the really sad fact is that we are actually no different to the situation before the last May election when so many people voted to accept the same.
What the electorate did not vote for through was for an Independent Councillor who would then be part of either the Bithel or Pritchard Independent Group. All the Undpendts that were standing knew they would be part of a Group (apart from the unaligned) and they should have declared from the outset which camp they were going to join.
All of those elected as Independents should hang their head in shame for allowing themselves to become puppets. Perhaps we should not forget that some of them joined a particular camp because they were offered a chairing role on a Scrutiny (extra payment)
I follow your thinking but part of the issue with Secondary Schools is also the standard of education that pupils get when in Primary School.
Using the Free School Meals data as an indicator makes it very strange that Acton Primary has just been rated in the Red category has relatively low FSM children but many of these children will feed into those Secondary schools that are or have been in Special Measures. Contrary to Acton is Rhosymedre that is based on the Plas Madoc estate – one of the top 10 deprived areas in Wales has just had a Green rating and only a couple of months ago an excellent Estyn Inspection.I wonder what would happen if the school management and Governors from Acton did a swap with Rhosymedre?
This indicates that the issue is not at Secondary School when often the children are being let down far earlier in their education in Primary Schools.
There clearly is not one single solution that fits all schools but failing schools need to look at those with similar pupil demographic and learn from other peoples success.
If GWE is supposed to be the support service – do they have expert staff who understand the issues and change management skills or are the staff who have left the classroom/school environment for a variety of personal reasons!
