PEOPLE living in Llanover need to prove that closing their school will rip the heart out of the village, a leading county councillor has warned.

Llanover school is earmarked for closure - one of a number of primary schools in the Abergavenny area in the same position after a review of education provision by Monmouth-shire county council.

Monmouthshire county councillor Chris Woodhouse told parents of children at the school: "I understand that not all the children attending Llanover School come from the village, but a number come from Abergavenny.

"The evidence is not there that it will rip the heart out of your village and you need to produce that evidence."

Councillor Woodhouse was commenting on four letters from Llanover parents and a question from the Reverend Patrick Coleman, the co-ordinator of the action group set up to fight closure.

Mr Coleman asked members of the Bryn y Cwm area committee: "How have the votes on school closures fitted in with Local Agenda 21 which promotes sustainability and vibrancy in small village communities?"

Councillor Giles Howard said these were arguments used in the fight to keep open the village schools in Clydach and Darrenfelin.

He added: "Smaller schools do need extra funding and resources, but I agree they provide as equally good an education as large schools."

In her letter to the committee, the vice-chairwoman of governors at Llanover, Helen Cox said: "We would ask councillors to look at the school as a role model rather than close it." Monmouthshire's lifelong learning director Phil Cooke said: "One of the letters expresses the concern that Llanover School has been forgotten because of the attention focused on the Abergavenny schools.

"That has happened because we are completing the second round of consultation and it is still being debated.

"It will come up on the agenda again. "The local community is not forgotten.

"One of the letters refers to transport costs, but this depends on the final decision. "Members are very conscious of the fact that the safety of pupils is very important and you can't put a cost on that.

"There is the opportunity to continually put points of view to me and cabinet members, and there will be formal consultation with staff, governors and parents."

Councillor Andre Arkell said he had urged Llanfoist parents to put their case during this period of time.

PICTURED: Pupil Lauren Combstoc protests outside the council meeting.