An open letter to Katherine Evan-Hughes, head of education at Pembrokeshire County Council – from the mayor of Haverfordwest.

MAY I begin by thanking you for inviting my council to comment on the proposals included in your consultation document relating to the above matter. It notes that the present document refers only to English medium provision for Haverfordwest.

This restricts us from having regard for the best interest of the county in general as well as the possible Welsh medium provision in our town.

Conscious of these restrictions and of the lack of information regarding the positioning of the proposed 11 to 16 school, we can only assume that your intention is to measure the level of support or opposition for the proposal that our town should have an 11 to 16 school and that sixth form provision should be a matter for Pembrokeshire College.

My fellow councillors and I are totally aware of the fact that we are representatives of the people of Haverfordwest.

We must avoid the urge to interfere with the affairs of other communities in Pembrokeshire but we must have regard for the views expressed by our townspeople.

Having again measured the wishes of the children, teachers, governors and parents involved in this matter we have again come to the conclusion that they have overwhelmingly expressed the wish to have one state of the art 11 to 19 school in Haverfordwest.

My council feels that this would be the best way forward.

We feel it will serve to avoid fragmentation of the county’s post-16 education facility.

It will adequately meet the ‘transformation’ requirement of the Welsh Office and it will allow the county council to show that it believes in the democratic principle of having due regard for the wishes of the people it represents.

I make this an ‘open letter’ as I feel it is important that Haverfordwest Town Council is seen to firmly support the wishes of the vast majority of Haverfordwest people.

Cllr Sue Murray

Mayor of Haverfordwest