Councillors reached a compromise after calling in a decision to sanction £52m of new schools which left out Prestatyn High School.

Denbighshire county councillor for Prestatyn North, Paul Penlington, had asked for the communities scrutiny committee to review the authority’s latest tranche of school building projects.

On September 22 the authority’s cabinet decided to push through £15.8m of its own cash to draw down the rest of the capital funding from Welsh Government for five new build projects.

However Cllr Paul Penlington (Prestatyn North ward) “called in” the decision because he felt Prestatyn High School (PHS) had been unfairly left out of the process.

This meant Denbighshire council’s communities scrutiny committee got to decide whether to send the decision back to cabinet to reconsider.

Cllr Penlington was late to the meeting because of work commitments but fellow Plaid Cymru councillor Mabon ap Gwynfor put forward the case on his behalf.

Lead member for education, Cllr Huw Hilditch-Roberts said the process had been done fairly and Prestatyn had received a new science lab, new fencing and other improvements over the last five years totalling millions of pounds.

He added Prestatyn’s need was not as great as Denbigh High School which was in a “poor state” of repair.

Yet it was Cllr Graham Timms, who represents Llangollen’s Llantysilio ward, who brokered a compromise after councillors complained there was not enough transparency over how schools were selected for the scheme.

He said: “We request that a detailed account of the 21st Century Schools programme be presented to councillors including a history of the project, current position and clear outline of future plans to make all Denbighshire council schools fit for the 21st century.”

Officers agreed to forward a report on the scheme to all councillors by January next year.

After the decision Cllr Penlington said: “I was disappointed the meeting chose not to refer this decision back to cabinet to ensure Prestatyn High School has future funding set in stone. Some of the ‘defence’ put forward was inaccurate and ignored the fact I had been assured PHS was on the future funding agenda earlier this year but has now been removed. I look forward to receiving the detailed report that has been offered as a compromise.”

Ysgol y Gwernant Welsh medium primary school and Ysgol Bryn Collen primary in Llangollen along with Ysgol Pendref, Denbigh, and Denbigh High will benefit from new buildings as part of the deal.

In addition, Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn, a North Wales centre of excellence in teaching pupils with autism, will also see investment of almost £23.5m in a new building designed to meet demand for its services.

A cabinet decision can be called in when five non-cabinet members sign a declaration saying they want a decision looked at again, within five working days of the resolution being published.

If the call-in is supported by councillors via a vote at an appropriate scrutiny committee meeting, their recommendations must be considered by at the next cabinet meeting.

There the executive has the power to make the same decision it made originally, overturn its first resolution or make an amendment to it.