THE board planning the 21st Century Schools programme will see an increase in its elected representatives but will not be classed as a council meeting to be held in public.

The programme is one of the biggest capital programmes carried out by Pembrokeshire County Council and is set to transform the county’s school infrastructure at a cost of millions of pounds.

Full council was told the total spend so far has been £121.6million, with Welsh Government grants and assisted borrowing totalling £60.8million, capital funding from reserves of £36.1million and supported borrowing of £24.3million.

Cabinet member for budget Cllr Bob Kilmister said following the election in May a review of the governance board behind the project had been carried out, a proposal previously made by Cllr Tessa Hodgson.

The 21st Century Schools Programme Management Project Board will now eight councillor members, an increase from three, and is chaired by the leader of the council, Cllr David Simpson.

Making up the eight councillors will be the cabinet member for education and lifelong learning, cabinet member for finance, cabinet member for infrastructure and assets, the chairman of the schools and learning overview and scrutiny committee, group leaders or representative if not already represented and a representative from the unaffiliated members.

The board will also include the Chief Executive, Director of Finance, Director for Children and Schools, and Head of Highways and Construction, Programme Co, Finance Manager and the Principal Pembrokeshire College.

Minutes from the quarterly meetings will be sent to the next Cabinet.

Cllr Hodgson, now cabinet member for well-being, said she welcomed the changes.

“The minutes took six months to come to cabinet and then it was a blink or you miss it approval and on to the next item,” she added.

Cllr Pat Davies, now cabinet member for Regulatory Services and Housing, sat on the board previously and raised the question of whether it was a council meeting or a management meeting.

She said she had received a summons to her first meeting from the chief executive as you would to a council meeting, meaning it would be held in public, but then did not receive papers in this manner again.

Cllr Kilmister said: “We’re quite clearly talking about a strategic management board, it clearly falls into that category not an officially council meeting.”