A SCRUTINY panel unanimously approved plans to build a new state-of-the-art secondary school in Caerphilly county borough last night.

Last month the Argus revealed that Caerphilly council proposed to shut Oakdale and Pontllanfraith Comprehensive Schools and build a new school at Oakdale Business Park, creating a similar-sized school to Blackwood Comprehensive and tackling surplus places.

The council is already spending at least £20 million building a new Welsh-medium high school in Caerphilly, with funding from Welsh Government, as part of its £92 million 21st Century Schools programme.

Dubbed the Islwyn West proposal, the plans were looked at by the council's education scrutiny committee yesterday, before going to cabinet next week and full council on July 23.

If agreed by all councillors, a consultation exercise will take place in the autumn, and pupils would start moving to the new school in September 2016.

Members of the committee heard from Bleddyn Hopkins, assistant director of education, who presented a report containing recommendations from a 10-member cross-party working group made up of seven Labour and three Plaid Cymru councillors.

They proposed shutting both Oakdale and Pontllanfraith comprehensives to save £8 million on a 25-year backlog of required maintenance, creating two similar sized schools in Blackwood and Oakdale.

The council faces a total maintenance backlog of £140 million for all its schools, the meeting heard.

Councillor Jan Jones, member for Ynysddu ward, told the committee she had received no big complaints to the plans from her ward.

Cllr Leon Gardiner, member for Argoed and caretaker at Blackwood Primary School for 24 years, also addressed the meeting and said he had not received any complaints from parents.

"My people in my ward are giving you their thanks, this will be absolutely brilliant," he said.

Member for Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen, Cllr Derek Havard, who was part of the working group, said it was a "tremendous relief" that his colleagues supported the proposal, while Cllr Colin Gordon, governor at Pontllanfraith Comprehensive, said: "All taken in, the three Pontllanfraith councillors agree we will be supporting the recommendations."

The proposal will help reduce surplus places in the area known as 'Islwyn West' from 22.1 per cent to 16.9 per cent, the council has said.