Cymdeithas yr Iaith have called on Jane Hutt to intervene to stop Carmarthenshire County Council’s dash to review village schools.Following 15 minutes of self-congratulatory discussion, Carmarthenshire’s Executive Board passed the recommendation to review the future of 11 Welsh-medium Village Schools this year and begin discussions on another six – all within a month of getting the election over.

The Board’s meeting was abruptly terminated by two dozen parents and members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith (and the cartoon characters) shouting from the Public Gallery for the Full Council and the public to be given a chance to voice their opinion of the plan. In her inimitable way Coun Leader Meryl Gravell (dubbed “Little Miss Bossy”) decided to confine the decision to the Executive Board which contains only members of the ruling coalition.Following the meeting, Cymdeithas Chair in Carmarthen Sioned Elin:"The farce played out below us in the chamber made our Cartoon characters in the Public Gallery look quite normal. Following this travesty of democracy, we shall now be calling on the Minister for Education to intervene and to direct the Council not to instigate any statutory procedures which could lead to school closures until decisions are made at the end of the year on the new Assembly guidelines on co-operation between neighbouring small schools. It would be disgraceful for the Council to rush ahead with closures without waiting to see what are the new possibilities for Village Schools which could come as a result of these guidelines and from the report of the Assembly’s Rural Development Sub-committee"Picketing Little Miss Bossy and Mr Forgetful's Meeting in CarmarthenMembers of Cymdeithas yr Iaith will be holding a picket between 9am-10am today at County Hall Carmarthen ahead of a crucial meeting of the Council’s Executive Board to discuss a major review of the MEP, which proposes dramatically stepping up Village School closures straight after the election.Cymdeithas will be pressing the Board to place the matter before the Full Council for democratic discussion so that amendments can be made. However Council Leader Meryl Gravell (portrayed by Cymdeithas as Mr Men character ‘Little Miss Bossy’) tends to take such decisions internally in the Executive Board merely informing the Council of decisions with no chance for any changes.Cymdeithas yr Iaith has dubbed Carmarthenshire Cabinet Member for Education, Coun. Ieuan Jones, ‘Mr Forgetful’ for conveniently forgetting to tell voters in last month’s election of plans revealed today for a bumper year for Village School Closures in the county. A massive 17,000-word document is to be placed before the Council’s Executive Board on Monday morning proposing reviews and consultations in 2008/9 about school sites in 11 Welsh-speaking villages, and to begin discussions in a further six. This follows a remarkably quiet pre-election year when the Council managed only two such consultations.Cymdeithas yr Iaith will hold the picket outside the meeting at County Hall and will highlight the Council’s deceit of the electorate through the presence of the famous ‘Mr Men’ characters ‘Mr Forgetful’ (Coun. Jones) and ‘Little Miss Bossy’ (Coun. Leader Meryl Gravell). Cymdeithas Chair in Carmarthenshire, Sioned Elin, explained:"A 17,000-word document has not suddenly appeared from nowhere. It was obviously available prior to the election but Mr Forgetful forgot to tell voters that the Independent-led coalition on Carmarthenshire County Council were about to declare war this year on up to 17 more Welsh-medium village schools after a conveniently quiet year prior to the election. Had they done so and lost a further 4 seats, then they would have been unable to force through these proposals. We challenge the Executive Board to send this Declaration of War on Village Schools to the full Council for debate so that amendments can be made.""One of the most disgraceful parts of the proposals is the determination to kill off the two federated schools in the county, showing their dogmatic desire to have no option other than closures and centralised Area Schools. They wish to close altogether the 3-site Ysgol Y Fro, and to stuff all the children from Ysgol Carreg Hirfaen on to one site by adding a glorified portacabin. They had promised detailed discussions about amending the funding formula for federated schools, but have decided straight after the election that they can’t be bothered and that closures are easier.""Cymdeithas yr Iaith will stand with every community which wishes to fight these proposals. The Council will not get their way easily, and people will remember how cynical they were in keeping the news until after the election."