Village 'will become next Abersoch' if school closes

A parent of a child at a rural primary school has said their village will "become the next Abersoch" if it closes.

Conwy council is considering proposals to shut Ysgol Betws y Coed, which has 14 pupils.

But a mum of a pupil said it would see young families leaving the area, which in turn would lead to more holiday lets and second homes, seeing it become "the next Abersoch" - a popular holiday destination in Gwynedd that sees its population of 600 rise to about 30,000 during the summer months.

Conwy council said the issue would be considered by its cabinet on 9 June.

Any formal procedure would see the council issue statutory notices before closure.

The mother called the plan to shut Ysgol Betws y Coed, which is part of a federation of three schools that share a head teacher, "absolutely ridiculous".

"Out of the three schools in the federation, the largest school - the one that's had the most pupils and staff over the last few years - is the one being called forward for closure," she said.

"For years I struggled to buy a house here because of how expensive it is. If they take away our school, I worry that this community will suffer.

"The school is what keeps young families in the area. Like myself, people will have to start looking elsewhere."

Former pupil Penny Richardson, who also has a grandchild at the school, said the closure would be "devastating" for the community.

"We've just had over £700,000 spent on our school. We had a new canteen, all new windows, new plumbing. Literally everything has been done. It was finished about a year-and-a-half ago. It's a total waste of money."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council for clarification on the £700,000 said to have been spent on the refurbishment.

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