MORE than 120 schools were closed across Gwent today on Monday, due to the disruption caused and forecasted by snow and ice.

All Blaenau Gwent schools were, together with more than 64 in Caerphilly, 32 in Torfaen and 24 in Monmouthshire.

Only three schools in Newport were closed.

The Met Office had also issued a weather warning for Tuesday and, while some schools remained closed, it was business as usual for most schools.

Here is how you reacted:

Absolutely laughable. Schools don’t close in Germany and France when it snows so why here? The roads are clear so what’s the problem. We are a Third World country in many respects.

Melvyn The Milk

It is a joke..I have, in past snowy/icy conditions, along with other Parents, got my children to school only to find out that the teachers Haven’t turned up. What infuriated me more, was knowing that one of my sons teachers lives just 500 yards from me. Wimp.

St3v3y

You also have to remember that there is a duty of care to pupils when on site. If the sites are not clear of snow and ice then there is a liability. Schools are also charged against their budgets for clearance of paths and roads by the local authorities.

rgh

If you take a child out of school for a holiday,you can be fined.I wonder could a parent fine the school for not allowing his child into school?

old soak

Hypocrisy - fine parents for taking their kids out of school on a family holiday.Yet shut schools when there is an inch of snow on the floor. ....joke!

portman

Why put parents and pupils at unnecessary risk for the sake of missing school for one day? Equipment that we don’t have due to only having irregular snowfall, yea (sic) we could buy millions of pounds worth of snow ploughs and force people to buy winter tyres, but then you would moan about the cost of the tyres and spending on equipment we don’t need. So to save the cash the local governments just close the schools instead, really, what would you rather?

Pafkay

THE number of AMs in the Welsh Assembly should be increased by as much as 50 per cent, with some constituencies electing as many of six representatives, a report has recommended.

The independent report said, in order to properly carry out its work with the further devolution of powers from Westminster, the total number of AMs should be increased from 60 to between 80 and 90.

The Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform recommended the 40 constituencies in Wales should be cut in half, with each area represented by between four and six AMs.

This would involve merging Newport East and West, along with Monmouth and Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent and Islwyn, while Caerphilly would merge with Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

Here’s what you had to say:

They need to stop pulling all the power into Cardiff and use the local authorities more plus delegate more to officials. The American senate has only 100 members. I agree with getting rid of that daft regional list system though.

Frankfurt

What worries me about WAG and all ways has is the lack of a strong opposition. What ever Labour want they will get. Before you all say “ToryLover” Im not but there needs to be two sides to every debate, something we don’t have and never have since WAG was created. More AMs will mean more of the same at a lot extra cost and where will the money come from, more cuts to essential services

Pontypandy