Council launches consultation on plans to close two heritage sites

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

A local authority is set to launch a consultation into proposals to close two heritage sites to save money.

Llancaiach Fawr and Blackwood Miners’ Institute could both be “mothballed” and have their funding withdrawn by Caerphilly County Borough Council.

The council is also planning to axe its Meals Direct service in November and set up an alternative system.

The local authority is set to launch a consultation on the proposals today, Tuesday July 30.

In it, the council says it is facing “a huge financial challenge over the next few years and difficult decisions will need to be made in order to balance the budget”.

Backlash

But the move has already sparked an angry backlash, with critics calling the proposals “cuts in the wrong places”.

Tudor manor Llancaiach Fawr, near Nelson, currently receives a £485,000 council subsidy each year, and employs 20 members of staff and another 14 “casual officers”.

Blackwood Miners’ Institute, a cultural venue, is subsidised to the tune of £347,000 a year by the council, and employs 12 members of staff and 19 “casual officers”.

Both will close at the end of December 2024 if the council’s cost-cutting proposals are approved.

Cllr Sean Morgan, the leader of Caerphilly Council, said: “We can’t continue to run our services in the way we always have. We need to explore all options and consider ways of doing things differently.”

£45 million

The council said it has to make another £45 million in savings over the next two years, on top of what it has been forced to save this year.

“I want to be honest with the community, because it is clear that the scale of savings means we need to make some very difficult decisions over the coming months,” Cllr Morgan added.

The proposals to “mothball” the destinations has been met with anger and disapproval elsewhere, however.

Cllr Kevin Etheridge, who represents the Blackwood ward, issued a joint statement with the town council’s deputy mayor, George Etheridge.

“Blackwood Miners ‘Institute has been a focal point for many years, with the Chartist movement operating nearby on their March to Newport,” they said.

“Although there is a consultation exercise ending in September we call on the public and the community to oppose any closure, and write to the council.”

The councillors are also preparing a petition opposing the move, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.

“Blackwood Miners’ Institute is part of our past, present and future,” they added. “The Chartists who marched through the town would be appalled and dismayed if our heritage is destroyed.”

Poor management

County councillor Nigel Dix, who also represents Blackwood, alleged the Miners’ Institute had suffered from a lack of investment and poor management from the council.

“It’s been left to rot on the vine,” he claimed. “Anybody with a business head could turnaround the loss, clearly the council couldn’t.

“It’s an iconic building which has been there for almost 100 years and it’s a sad day. It is down to negligence and mismanagement that we’re in this mess now.”

Cllr Dix also questioned why more than £4.5m was spent on the Ffos Caerffili container market, a project he argued should have been left to the private sector.

“It shows where the priorities lie,” he added.

“Cllr Morgan has said we have to fund the statutory required services of the council, but why did he put more than £4m into the container market?

“He cannot have his cake and eat it.”

Cllr Jamie Pritchard, the deputy leader of Caerphilly Council, said the subsidy for Blackwood Miners’ Institute had grown year-on-year between 2020 and 2024, and was worth a total of £1.5m since 2020.

There are “examples where a not-for-profit charity has been able to be successful in running similar venues”, Cllr Pritchard added, citing Bedwas Workmens’ Hall as an example.

Earlier this year, the council mothballed The Winding House museum in New Tredegar and closed Coffi Vista in Caerphilly town centre, in a previous round of cost-cutting.

The council’s consultation on mothballing Llancaiach Fawr and Blackwood Miners’ Institute runs until Tuesday September 10.

More information on how to take part in the consultation can be found online at https://conversation.caerphilly.gov.uk/blackwood-miners-institute-and-llancaiach-fawr