7. Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:04 pm on 17 January 2023.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 5:04, 17 January 2023

(Translated)

I thank the Member for that question. We need to provide Welsh-medium schools as well as English-medium schools. There is demand in both areas. And the challenge for us and our aspiration as a Government is to ensure that one doesn't happen at the expense of the other. And that's the point I was making earlier, in linking investments in the broader infrastructure with appropriate and swift developments in the delivery of the strategic plan. That's an important element of this way of working. I have had discussions with the authority, the leader and the cabinet member for education and the director of education to discuss the WESP, as part of the discussion that we have with all councils on their plans. I think the council's plans are ambitious, and we've discussed with them how important it is to make swift progress, and the council certainly accepts that. I think the council also accepts that, in the past, there hadn't been sufficient progress, and that places people's expectations in a different place, and I think having that conversation has been positive. I've told all authorities in Wales that I'm very pleased to see ambitious plans, but what we need to see on the ground is the delivery of those plans and to see developments happening, on the ground.