Madam,

The current proposal to cut the funding of the schools music service and Cllr Ellen ap Gwynn’s decision that it was not a matter for Cabinet is troubling and reading the article by your reporter Antony Gedge ‘Fear over further cuts to education’ (Cambrian News online, 4 June) will cause people more concern.

All Welsh Government grants for improving education in Wales are delivered through one source, the Regional Consortia Schools Improvement Grant. Our consortium, ERW, covers Ceredigion, Powys, Carmarthen, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and currently Neath Port Talbot (although NPT are seemingly pulling out as they feel ERW wastes too much money on administration).

This accusation of profligacy seems to be bourne out by a report by the ERW Joint Committee itself, presented at their meeting on 8 February this year, which states: “The current financial model does not work and causes ongoing tension.” The report also identifies how ERW’s staffing costs could be cut from £4.7m to a mere £3.4m in the coming year.

If the grant money is slow to come through, it may be because ERW’s grant application for 2018/19 contained six vital omissions. This, and apparent advice from the Welsh Government that the constituent parts of ERW need to work more closely together, leads me to consider whether ERW as an organisation is entirely fit for purpose.

So, with Neath Port Talbot leaving, at least £1.3m spent on unnecessary bureaucracy and failure to meet the conditions of a grant application (six times), the alleged fears of council chief executive Eifion Evans that ERW is to receive £30,000 less this year seem well founded.

Mr Evans should know as he sits on ERW’s Joint Committee, which is chaired by Cllr Ellen ap Gwynn. The same Cllr ap Gwynn, who as leader of the county council was unwilling to allow councillors to make a decision regarding the proposed cuts to the schools music service.

Yours etc, George Holloway Rhoshendre Waunfawr, Aberystwyth.

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