Written question WQ94182

Decisions on the level of funding available to schools and to other services are made by each authority as part of their overall budget and council tax setting. This is in line with the Welsh Government’s policy that local authorities are best placed to judge local needs and circumstances and to fund schools accordingly. Despite significant budget pressures we have continued to prioritise public services, including schools, through protecting the indicative rise for the local government settlement. The 2024-25 settlement provides an additional 3.3% on top of the consolidated increase of 7.9% in 2023-24. Conwy’s 2024-25 final settlement is £203.5m. This represents an increase of 2.3% on 2023-24 on a like for like basis.

In addition, grant funding that goes to schools has been prioritised. For 2024-25 the amalgamation of pre-16 local authority education grants provides the same level of funding against similar grants provided to local authorities in 2023-24; this is also a 3.2% rise against the 2024-25 indicative budget for those same grants.

Conwy has benefitted from £33 million investment in its school buildings since the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme began in 2014. This includes funding for specific projects, as well as associated grant streams such as Repairs and Maintenance, Universal Free School Meals Capital Grant, Community Focused Schools, Additional Learning Needs and Childcare. Since 2017, Conwy has received £8.87m specifically for capital repairs and maintenance of its school estate, and since 2022, has received £1.4m Welsh Government capital funding to support the upgrading of facilities for learners with Additional Learning Needs.