MP for Montgomeryshire Craig Williams has called on Powys County Council to rethink proposals to convert Machynlleth's Ysgol Bro Hyddgen into a Welsh Medium school.

Earlier this month the council published a statutory notice to change the site from a dual-stream school to a Welsh-medium school, where the majority of teaching is through the medium of Welsh.

Members of the public now have until July 15 to register their concerns with the council over the move, before it is formally ratified.

Mr Williams met with parents at the school this week to hear their concerns, and says the move would be a "step backwards", in his opinion.

"Having recently met a group of constituents and parents in Machynlleth, whose children currently attend Ysgol Bro Hyddgen, I have heard their deep concerns regarding the Council’s intentions to replace the dual stream curriculum at the School with a Welsh medium curriculum," he said.

"Clearly local people and parents are extremely worried that the Council’s consultation process was heavily weighted towards the views of the School’s governors, and against the views of parents.

"It would appear to be a step backwards to take away the choice of dual stream education for a whole community, forcing hundreds of Powys pupils to attend schools’ miles away from their homes and potentially out of county.”

Montgomeryshire AM Russell George said he had been contacted by "many people" who are upset with the proposals.

"People feel very strongly that there should be a choice on offer for children, so all pupils in the Machynlleth area have a reasonable opportunity to learn either through the medium of English or through the medium of Welsh," he said.

"I am very concerned, as are my constituents, that a decision has been reached which could have a huge impact on the local community, but does not reflect the majority of parents’ views."

"It is fantastic to see that many want to learn through the medium of Welsh but removing the choice from those who wish to learn through the medium of English is causing concern for many. I urge Powys County Council to reconsider their proposal and to listen to the community and their representatives on this matter."

The proposals have attracted strong views on both sides of the argument, with Welsh language campaigners saying the move would support bilingualism and protect sixth form provision in Machynlleth.

Powys County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan, who is also chair of governors at the school, supports the plan - and says Welsh language skills would help pupils access 10,000 jobs where Welsh language skills are advantageous in the region.

"This matter shouldn’t be seen as a 'Welsh vs English' thing, and I deplore those that try to make it such," he said.

"It should be seen as a matter of ensuring the best education possible for all our young people, for enabling our future generations to gain the skills for the 21st Century, for building the capacity of our young people, for ensuring their maximum potential and ensuring that they can play a full part in a bilingual society and multilingual world."

Speaking after the issuing of the statutory notice last week, Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, said: the move would help the council to meet the aims and objectives within its "Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys".

"It would also ensure that all pupils attending the school have the opportunity to become fully bilingual, fluent in both Welsh and English, therefore contributing to the Welsh Government’s aspiration to achieve a million Welsh speakers by 2050," he said.