A CALL to set out a plan for addressing surplus school places in two areas of Monmouthshire will be made at an upcoming meeting.

It comes following concern over the number of empty spaces in schools in both the Chepstow and Monmouth areas.

In July Monmouthshire’s director of education Will McLean said both school clusters have “significant numbers of surplus places” of about 200 primary age pupils each.

Later in July Laura Wright, the county council’s Labour cabinet member for education, ruled out school closures as a solution to surplus places. That was prompted following a petition that claimed Kymin View Primary School, in Wyesham, Monmouth could be closed and the recently established Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy would move into its building.

Cllr Wright also denied any proposal to remove English medium education from Kymin View.

When the full council meets on Thursday, September 18 at County Hall in Usk, members will be asked to back a motion by Conservative opposition leader Richard John calling for the Labour-led cabinet to “set out its plans to tackle surplus places in the Monmouth and Chepstow clusters”.

At the council’s July meeting Mr McLean said reports on addressing surplus places in both Monmouth and Chepstow will likely be brought to the council’s scrutiny committees, and the decision making cabinet, in the autumn term.

He warned working through the options would likely be a “challenging and complex period” but any proposals would have to be in line with Welsh Government regulations.

Mr McLean also said it isn’t anticipated new housing, including those expected from the council’s ongoing local development plan, will produce a “sufficient” number of youngsters to fill the empty places.

He said the council wants to work with the four schools in Monmouth on solutions and said a meeting, with schools earlier in July, looked at what the “likely solution could be for dealing with surplus places” as well as the long-term future of Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy which opened last September within Overmonnow Primary in Monmouth.

Following the claims over the future of Kymin View, which were highlighted by Xavier Turner ahead of a byelection to Monmouth Town Council in which he stood as a Conservative candidate and won, the council acknowledged discussions on schools had taken place.

Cllr Wright said at the time: “There have been some very early stage conversations about the low pupil numbers in some of our schools and the challenge that this presents. Having those discussions is the right and responsible thing for us to do.”

If the motion is agreed by the council it’s likely a statement would be required at the next meeting setting out the action on surplus places, though Cllr Wright could do that if she responds during Thursday’s debate.

The meeting will be the first full council meeting since it was confirmed Tony Easson, who represents Dewstow, in Caldicot had been suspended from the Labour group over an unspecified complaint. He now sits as an Independent Socialist though Labour has said it expects him to vote in line with the party whip.

As a result of the suspension Labour has just 20 of the 46 members and its coalition with the only Green Party councillor, who sits in a group with one independent, isn’t able to rely on the chairman’s casting vote if there is a tied vote with the 19 member Conservative group and four strong independent group having 23 votes combined.