DAVID LLOYD GEORGE AND LLANYSTUMDWY SCHOOL

That this House welcomes the unveiling of a statue of David Lloyd George in Parliament Square; recognises his achievements as the only Welsh Prime Minister in the UK's history, the longest serving Chancellor of the Exchequer of the 20th century, the initiator of great social welfare schemes such as the state pension, his reinvention of the tax system to pay for large scale projects without burdening the poor, and his wartime leadership; notes the proposals that 29 schools in Gwynedd may be closed and replaced by eight area schools; further notes the alarm and concern surrounding news of the possible closure of Llanystumdwy Village School, Lloyd George's old primary school; further recognises that it was this school where Lloyd George's taste for politics began and where he led his first struggle for religious freedom and equality when he led a boycott of the recitation of the Creed and the Catechism in English; and in the spirit of Lloyd George, who would have supported local schools and rural communities, requests Gwynedd Council to reconsider its proposed closures and come forward with alternative plans which retain Llanystumdwy School.