Cymdeithas yr Iaith has criticised Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet for treating parents and residents "as obstacles" rather than as "partners" after deciding to continue with a consultation on the closure of four schools.

Parents turned out in force on Tuesday to protest the plans which senior councillors spent eight hours debating, before deciding to go ahead and launch consultations on the closure of all four schools.

Pupils now face only having just one more year in their current schools of Ysgol Craig yr Wylfa in Borth, Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, Ysgol Llangwyryfon, and Ysgol Syr John Rhys in Ponterwyd before continuing their education elsewhere.

In response, the language campaign movement will complain formally that the council has gone against the Welsh Government's School Organization Code by enacting a presumption in favour of closing the schools.

Ffred Ffransis, from the Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Education Group, said: "Today (Tuesday) we witnessed the council treating the parents and residents who were present as obstacles to be defeated instead of seeing them as partners in community regeneration.

"With so many communities in the county already on the brink in terms of the Welsh language, can we afford to lose these schools, which are community centres and which ensure that the Welsh language continues as a living language?

"The Welsh Government's School Organization Code clearly states that all options other than closure must be considered while proposals are still at a formative stages, with a presumption in favour of maintaining rural schools. No one can seriously claim that this process has been adequately carried out by Ceredigion Council, as the formative stage of the council's policy - which concluded that closure was the best option - took place behind closed doors.

"As warned, Cymdeithas yr Iaith will submit a complaint that the Council is not fulfilling its duty, has breached the School Organization Code and has acted with presumption in favour of closing schools.

"One of the council's officials insisted that the Government had confirmed that they did adhere to the Code, so we will also send a freedom of information request asking for correspondence between the council and the government on the matter, to see who has misled the public."