A NEW school for Chepstow has been put to the back of the queue, meaning the town could wait a decade or more for its ‘21st century’ school.

According to Monmouthshire Council’s original ‘21st Century Schools’ plan the county’s four secondary schools were to be replaced two at a time but Chepstow has been put to the back of the queue because of a financial squeeze.

The council’s Conservative-controlled Cabinet has agreed a replacement for King Henry VIII School in Abergavenny will be built next and Chepstow after that – if the money can be found.

That has been branded “unacceptable” by three Tory councillors whose wards are in Chepstow School’s catchment and criticised by Labour group leader Cllr Dmitri Batrouni, whose St Christopher’s ward is also in the town.

In a letter to council leader Peter Fox (Con, Portskewett), councillors David Dovey (St Kingsmark), Paul Pavia (Larkfield) and Denise Brown (Shirenewton) said they were “distinctly unhappy” at the “effective downgrading” of the replacement for Chepstow.

They are particularly concerned that the current fabric of the school could prompt parents to choose Wyedean School in Sedbury over Chepstow.

In the letter they say: “We feel the prioritisation of Abergavenny over Chepstow – which initially, were jointly categorised as Band B capital projects – is completely unacceptable.

“...the issue of the current poor fabric of the building, compared to the investment that has been made to Wyedean, is only going to exacerbate the problem of local under-subscription.

“There is a danger that a real spiral of decline could occur if we are saying that it’s going to be at least 10 years before a new school will be developed in Chepstow.

“Given Chepstow School’s turnaround in terms of leadership, educational attainment and financial prudence, this proposed change in development categorisation is very much a slap in the face for local staff, parents and pupils.”

Speaking at the Cabinet, Cllr Batrouni said: “Potentially the school could not be built until 2029 which is a huge blow for Chepstow.”

Cabinet member for children and young people Cllr Richard John (Con, Mitchel Troy) said uncertainty about the growth of population in Chepstow in the wake of Severn Bridge tolls being scrapped meant the town could end up with a school smaller than will be needed.

He said: “We’re concerned that if we were to prioritise Chepstow, we could be building a school that is a fifth smaller than it is now to remove surplus places and which would be totally unfit for purpose in five years’ time.”

Cllr Fox said that with the Welsh Government reducing its contribution to the cost of new schools to 50 per cent he was “struggling to see where the finance is coming from.”