The Cabinet of Carmarthenshire Council met on Monday 23 February 2026 to consider the objection report regarding the proposed discontinuation of Ysgol Llansteffan. The Cabinet unanimously resolved to recommend to the full Council that the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Llansteffan, as outlined in the Statutory Notice, be implemented.

Modernising Education Programme: Ysgol Llansteffan Discontinuation

The Cabinet considered the objection report concerning the proposed discontinuation of Ysgol Llansteffan, a key part of the authority's Modernising Education Programme (MEP) strategy. Councillor Glynog Davies, Cabinet Member for Education, presented the report, highlighting the challenging circumstances facing the school, including extremely low pupil numbers, high surplus places, declining pupil projections, and a projected budget deficit.

The process involved a Viability Assessment of all primary schools, followed by a Stage 0 shaping discussion with Ysgol Llansteffan. This led to a Cabinet decision on 17 November 2025 to proceed with a Statutory Notice. Due to Ysgol Llansteffan having fewer than 10 pupils at the January 2025 census, a streamlined procedure was followed, bypassing general consultation and moving directly to the statutory notice.

A total of 201 submissions were received during the statutory notice period, comprising 3 supportive comments and 198 objections. The report detailed the main objections, such as the school being the heart of the community, the potential impact on Ysgol Llangain's capacity, active travel, the Welsh language, and new housing developments. The Cabinet was informed that Ysgol Llangain has sufficient capacity to accommodate pupils from Ysgol Llansteffan.

Following a discussion, the Cabinet acknowledged the difficulty of the decision and emphasised that the correct process had been followed, with all objections carefully considered. The report noted that the final decision would be made by the full Council on 4 March 2026.

Decision: The Cabinet unanimously resolved to recommend that the full Council implement the proposal to discontinue Ysgol Llansteffan as laid out in the Statutory Notice.

Councillor Alun Lenny declared a personal interest in this item as he has a grandson who is a pupil at Ysgol Llansteffan. Councillor Carys Jones declared a personal interest as she is on the governing body of Ysgol Llangain and Ysgol Llansteffan. Both councillors reiterated their declarations and left the meeting for the duration of this item. Councillor Philip Hughes was absent from the meeting.