Parents demand true cost of huge super-school merger

Parents say a council has until the end of the day to show where it will find at least £55m needed to replace four schools with a new Catholic super-school.

Families of pupils at the under-threat St David's Catholic Primary School in Mold sent an eight-page legal letter to Flintshire County Council demanding key concerns are answered ahead of a fresh public consultation next week.

They argue the £55m cost was calculated in 2024 and will have risen because of inflation and the impact of global conflicts.

The plan to modernise Catholic education facilities in north Wales would see four schools replaced with a super-school in Flint for pupils aged three to 18, run by the Diocese of Wrexham.

Claire Homard, the council's chief officer for education and youth, said the council could not comment on the letter as it is a legal matter, but said it would give "careful consideration to the points raised".

The proposals would see the closure of St Anthony's Primary in Saltney, St David's in Mold, St Mary's in Flint, and St Richard Gwyn High School, also in Flint.

The Welsh government is expected to provide 85% of the proposed cost using the Sustainable Communities for Learning Fund, with the council borrowing the remaining funds, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A public consultation on the plans was paused earlier this year, with a fresh overture asking people for their views on a merger set to launch on 29 July.

In their legal letter, the campaign group's solicitors said: "The council has failed to update the £55m indicative capital costs figure from the previous consultation and has made only vague reference in the new consultation document to doing so during the process."

It also stated the £178,507.05 calculated in maintenance costs for St David's is "out of date and incorrect".

The letter has also questioned why planned housing developments around Mold have been excluded from pupil-number projections.

Councillor Andrew Parkhurst, Liberal Democrat group leader on the council, said: "Councillors should not be learning from solicitors that basic evidence may still be missing from a live statutory consultation.

"The previous process was halted and the cabinet promised to reflect and improve. They have failed to do this.

"The only reasonable course of action is to halt the consultation yet again and start again, looking at the correct evidence."

Homard said: "We are aware that correspondence from solicitors acting on behalf of a school has been shared with the media.

"The consultation process remains ongoing, and we remain committed to ensuring that all views submitted as part of that process are considered fairly and thoroughly.

"We welcome feedback from anyone with an interest in the future of the schools."