A meeting will be held next week to discuss ‘formally withdrawing’ controversial plans that would see Haverfordwest area pupils lose their school sixth forms.

Neyland county councillor Paul Miller, backed by 14 other councillors, has submitted a notice of motion calling for proposals for post 16 education in north and central Pembrokeshire to be withdrawn.

He had asked that it be withdrawn before a statutory consultation began but the meeting to discuss the notice was scheduled after it started.

Cllr Miller’s motion calls for the investigation of “all options” for provision of post 16 education at Ysgol Dewi Sant, Ysgol Bro Gwaun and Sir Thomas Picton as well as consultation on options for school based sixth form provision together with the current proposals.

He asks that this consultation be presented to full council with a recommendation from the relevant director.

In a council report prepared for next week’s meeting it is stated that the proposals for post 16 education were agreed by council in January 2015 and sixth form proposals had been part of previous discussions.

“Extensive” preliminary discussion on a range of options was carried out in 2014.

“It should be emphasised that the Council’s preferred option is based on a wide evidence base and is not just based on the feedback of preliminary discussion. Notably, the report by TRIBAL, new Post 16 funding arrangements and data in relation to post 16 progressions and completion have influenced the decision to propose a central sixth form centre,” states the report.

Standards and surplus places are also referred to.

It claims that halting the consultation at this stage would delay the 21st Century Schools programme by more than 12 months and this would take the proposal out of the funding timeline.

A new claim would have to be made in the second round of funding from Welsh Government after 2019.

The matter, recommended for refusal, will be debated by Full Council on Tuesday, April 14 at County Hall, 10am.