What plans does the Minister have to support schools in Carmarthenshire facing a significant financial deficit, and to ensure no school closures negatively impact pupils' ability to access education?
The Welsh Government does not fund schools directly. The Welsh Government provides funding to Local Authorities for pre-16 provision in schools mainly through the Local Government Revenue Settlement in the form of the Revenue Support Grant (RSG). Decisions on the level of funding available to schools and to other services are made by each authority as part of their overall budget and council tax setting.
This year, Carmarthenshire is receiving £338m in settlement funding. This is an increase of 8.5% over 2022-23 on a like-for-like basis.