Cllr John said the project would also extend provision for children with autistic spectrum disorder in the county, something the council vowed to do when it closed Mounton House school last year. The plans would also enable Welsh-medium school Ysgol Gymraeg Y Fenni to move to the current site of Deri View Primary School, doubling its capacity to 420 pupils. Council leader Cllr Peter Fox said the project was a “fantastic opportunity”. “Hopefully this building will be able to serve many generations of children ahead of us,” he said. Will McLean, chief officer for children and young people, said he hoped people would take part in the consultation on the project, which he said would be “a hugely significant investment for the town”.
The proposed council tax increase would see bills for a band D property increase by £68.35 a year, or £1.31 a week. At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, council leader Cllr Peter Fox welcomed a 3.9 per cent increase in funding from the Welsh Government in its provisional settlement, but he said the authority still receives the least funding per person in Wales. “It was slightly refreshing for the first time in many, many years to see us receive around the average settlement which is a far better position than last year,” he said. But Cllr Fox added that “a high percentage of not a lot is still not a lot”.