Pembrokeshire: Parents won't be asked why they chose Welsh
He also claimed the Mr Murphy had tried to portray the administration as "anti-Welsh."The new proposal was passed unanimously by six cabinet members on Wednesday.The virtual meeting was not attended by three cabinet members, including the councillor responsible for education, Guy Woodham, and Plaid Cymru's Rhys Sinnett.
Fellow cabinet member, Jacob Williams, attacked the Welsh language commissioner, Efa Gruffudd Jones, claiming that she had "jumped the gun". He said she should be "embarrassed" about a letter to the council claiming the amendment could send "negative" messages to parents who were considering Welsh medium education for their children.He also suggested she had not demonstrated that she was an "impartial authority."But a former head of the Welsh language board, Meirion Prys Jones, said it was "entirely appropriate" that the Welsh language commissioner had intervened in the row.
"The role of the Welsh language commissioner is to look at local authorities, central government and decide whether they're actually implementing their own plans in terms of developing Welsh medium education," he said. "It would be strange really if the commissioner didn't comment and didn't write to the local authority saying, 'what are you doing here, this doesn't look to be in line with government policy'.Council leader Jon Harvey said the amended proposal was "not unreasonable" and that the authority wouldn't "do anything that wasn't legal"."This seems to have has been blown up to be a situation where we as a cabinet, are being perceived as anti Welsh or anti Welsh language, and that is certainly not the case," he said. "We have invested heavily in Welsh language provision. We are all very supportive of that. "All we are asking for is the director of education to explore whether we can get a little more data on the subject."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
27 minutes ago
- Times
Parents beat Labour's VAT on fees raid by paying £500m up front
Parents of children at Britain's leading private schools may have avoided Labour's tax raid by offering up fees in advance. Hundreds of millions of pounds in fees were paid upfront last year to avoid the 20 per cent VAT, which came into effect on January 1, analysis by the Daily Telegraph shows. Britain's top 50 independent schools received £515 million in advance fees last year, up from £121 million in 2023, according to research of the latest annual accounts at Companies House and the Charity Commission. • More than fifty UK private schools shut since Labour put VAT on fees By handing over school fees before Labour's deadline, wealthy parents may have avoided up to £103 million in VAT, with that sum expected to be even higher when taking into account all of the UK's 2,600 private schools. Parents at some schools tried paying up to five years' fees before the January deadline to dodge Labour's tax, the analysis shows. The large scale of advance payments could impact Labour's plan to raise revenue, tax experts have warned. However, the Treasury says that the Office for Budget Responsibility considered the use of prepayment schemes when making its forecasts for how much money would be raised by the VAT raid. Fees gathered from prepayment schemes, which are used to pay for one or more years of a pupil's education in advance, have risen across the UK's most expensive schools, including Brighton College, which recorded £50.1 million in total prepaid fees last year — an increase of £4.1 million from 2023. Only 86 of its pupils were covered by the school's prepayment scheme last year. That figure jumped to 819 last year as parents scrambled to beat the VAT deadline. Eton College collected £52.7 million in advance fee payments last year, up £16.6 million from 2023. At Winchester College, fees collected in advance rose from £4.4 million in 2023 to £19 million in 2024. Labour maintains that its tax raid is aimed at targeting Britain's wealthiest families and will raise more than £1.8 billion a year for state schools in ten years. However, with wealthy parents forking out large sums to Britain's most prestigious schools, it is the smaller private schools that are likely to be affected the most. The government predicts that 100 schools could shut over the next three years, with more than 50 independent schools already announcing their closures as a result of the policy, the Telegraph reports.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Reform UK leader accused of making unsubstantiated claims
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, claimed at a press conference that asylum seekers exploit the UK system, receive benefits, and work illegally. His remarks followed an incident where protesters reportedly attempted to enter a hotel housing asylum seekers in Canary Wharf. Charities like Care4Calais and Hope Not Hate criticised Farage, accusing him of spreading "unevidenced fears" and divisive "populist politics". Care4Calais stated Farage's rhetoric sows division and endangers people seeking sanctuary, drawing parallels to past race riots. Farage also alleged a "cover-up" regarding an alleged rape in Nuneaton and made unsubstantiated claims about safety in London, which were refuted by the Mayor's office.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Watch moment asylum seeker pulls the middle finger & flicks cigarette at protesters outside £200 a night migrant hotel
THIS is the moment an asylum seeker flips the bird at protesters as he is escorted by a policeman into a £200 a night migrant hotel. The man also flicked a cigarette towards the 40-person group of shouting anti-migrant protesters as tensions flared outside The Chine Hotel in Boscombe, Bournemouth. 5 5 5 The shocking footage was filmed during a heated protest in front of the Dorset hotel last Friday evening. As a young man is escorted by a police officer towards the seaside hotel, an anti-migrant protester is heard shouting: "Where are you from mate?" The migrant then flicks a cigarette towards the group before shouting back at them. Adding fuel to the fire, another protester can be heard asking him: "Were you running from a war?" The man stops before turning to give the crowd the middle finger. The Chine is one of three hotels in Bournemouth that are used to house asylum seekers and thereby closed to the public. The late 19th century hotel - visited by celebrities like Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy and Dame Vera Lynn - is known for its sea views. It has 88 rooms that showcase views of the sea or the landscaped gardens, along with indoor swimming pool and spa facilities. The honeymoon suite is said to cost £200 a night. The protest saw anti-migrant protesters passionately waving their Union Jack flags and playing patriotic songs like 'Three Lions' and 'Rule Britannia' on a loudspeaker. Watch moment migrant boat arrives on Spain hols beach before they are chased & tackled by angry locals A group from Stand Up To Racism, supported by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, showed up to form a counter-protest. They held up placards, reading: 'Refugees Welcome, Stop The Far Right'. Dozens of police officers created a barrier between the two groups as things became heated. Though one anti-immigration protester squared up to a police officer, no arrests were made during the three-hour protest. It comes as mothers and children dressed in pink protested outside Britain's most controversial migrant hotel on Saturday - before masked yobs hijacked the event and clashed with police. Demonstrators chanting 'Save our kids and women' shut down a busy road outside the four-star Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf, East London. They were among 200 anti-migrant protesters waving flags, including a giant St George's Cross, and calling for an end to small boat crossings. On Sunday, the Met Police issued a Section 42 dispersal order banning some demonstrators from gathering outside the hotel for 28 days. 5 5
