Campaigners brand council leader ‘pathetic’

A GROUP protesting against the closure of leisure centres in Blackwood have branded the leader of Caerphilly council “pathetic” after he said a public protest march was “not the answer”.

Campaigners have been fighting against the council decision to consider closing Pontllanfraith and Cefn Fforest leisure centres. Hundreds of people have signed a petition and protested at Caerphilly council’s offices against the closure of the centres, which have been described as a “lifeline to the community”.

While Pontllanfraith includes a sports hall, fitness centre and a 3G football pitch, Cefn Fforest has a swimming pool and a fitness centre. The council deferred the final decision on whether or not to close the centres in March, and launched a public consultation.

The proposals were first raised in December last year, as part of the draft Sport and Active Recreation Strategy, and it was said the closure would save the council more than half a million pounds in running costs, including replacing the 3G pitch in 2020-22.

However, if kept open, running costs for the centre are estimated to be £136,000 per year after the loss of funding from the Education and Lifelong Learning department.

This includes an extra £17,000 liability fee after the closure of the school on the site.

The march, which is scheduled to take place at noon on Saturday in Blackwood town centre, was organised by members of the Save Cefn Fforest and Pontllanfraith Leisure Centres from Closure Group, who believe it is the only way of making their voices heard.

But Caerphilly council leader David Poole said the march was “not the answer”.

He added: “I admire anyone who feels strongly about a topic or issue, and the notion of a ‘peaceful protest’ or march in demonstration against that issue is our right in a world where we, thankfully, have freedom of speech.

“However, in this case, there is no public liability insurance in place for this march, and as such, the council cannot arrange any temporary road closure orders for the event to take place safely, meaning if the march were to take place on the public highway it would do so fully unauthorised. I understand the local police have been advised of this accordingly.

“The subject of the march relates an element of our draft Sport and Active Recreation Strategy 2019-2029, which is yet to be adopted, so I’d question the rationale for a march against a decision that hasn’t been made. It simply isn’t the answer.”

He added: “The protest march concerns a single local issue and is not concerned with the overall strategic approach being suggested for the whole county borough. I understand that there will be occasions when there is strength of feeling in the community over a particular topic, and I believe that’s a good thing.

“There are, however, official mechanisms for having that strength of feeling recorded so it is considered as part of any decision-making process – and not, as it may seem to some, as a means of gaining column inches in the press.”

Dean Jones, a member of the campaign group, said the council’s response was “pathetic” and it would not stop them marching.

He said: “It’s quite a pathetic response, we have a human right to protest against this decision. We’ll be marching on the pavement so safety will be paramount.

“We are not going to do anything that involves highways and the police have no concerns about it, they’re more than happy for us to protest.

“The march is about getting our message out loud and clear, we want Pontllanfraith and Cefn Fforest leisure centres to stay open. It’s like the Chartists, they marched to get their voice heard and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”