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00:00Last month, Estyn, the Education Inspectorate, published a highly critical report about Powys Council's education services.
00:08It said the council caused significant concern and made four recommendations, including strengthening leadership,
00:15improving support for pupils with additional learning needs, and improving post-16 education.
00:22The report also emphasised concerns about school site security in Powys.
00:28Today, at an extraordinary meeting to discuss the report, councillors heard that improvements to school site security across Powys will cost £1.6 million,
00:39and that the council aims to complete the work in the next year.
00:43Powys Council is run by a partnership between the Liberal Democrat Group and the Labour Group,
00:48and today, a number of opposition councillors called for councillor Pete Roberts, who's responsible for education, to resign.
00:55He said he wouldn't do that, and the council's leader said he has full confidence in councillor Roberts.
01:03He has done an enormous amount in the last three years to transform the education system as its portfolio holder.
01:09He's driven forward the expansion of Welsh medium education.
01:13He's brought in a catchment review process, and I think that's greatly to his credit.
01:19So he has my full confidence, yes.
01:21Powys Council has formed what it calls an accelerated improvement board to implement Estyn's recommendations.
01:27It's chaired by the chief executive, and today she said the improvements needed aren't just about education,
01:34but rather an organisational response to improve the school service, which at the moment isn't delivering.