‘No magic money tree’ to save community’s ‘vital’ leisure centre

Nicholas Thomas Local Democracy Reporter

Councillors have dismissed a call to prop up an at-risk leisure centre using cash held in reserves.

Many members of Caerphilly Council’s environment committee spoke in support of Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre, but in a knife-edge vote ultimately declined to back Cllr Kevin Etheridge’s more radical proposals to privatise the site or draw on the council’s contingency funds.

Committee vice chairman Cllr Shane Williams, who represents the Cefn Fforest and Pengam ward, called the leisure centre a “vital facility” and said the council “should do everything to save it”.

He said the local authority made a “significant investment” in the centre’s health suite last year, and now there is a risk users will be “shoved out”.

Closures

Caerphilly County Borough Council plans to close leisure centres in Bedwas, Cefn Fforest and New Tredegar later this year in a cost-cutting plan it says will deliver a better service at a smaller number of sites.

It has also relaunched proposals to shut down Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre.

At the committee meeting, Cllr Etheridge, from Blackwood, had hoped to garner enough support to call on the cabinet to “fund any improvements necessary” at the Cefn Fforest site.

This potentially included using grant funding or nearly £500,000 of the council’s own reserves to address the centre’s maintenance backlog and annual running cost.

He warned the Sirhowy Valley might become a “poor relation” within the county borough – noting the council was contributing £13 million towards a new leisure and wellbeing hub in Caerphilly town.

But the committee chairman, Cllr Andrew Whitcombe, refused to accept Cllr Etheridge’s unexpected suggestions that the council could free up the money by scrapping its deputy chief executive position, or could seek to privatise the leisure centre.

Some committee members spoke favourably about Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre but distanced themselves from the call to use reserve cash.

Challenges

The council has repeatedly challenged claims it sits on a wealth of “rainy day” funding – and insists the vast majority of its reserves is either ring-fenced or already allocated towards specific future projects such as new schools.

Cllr Dawn Ingram-Jones asked which reserves Cllr Etheridge would access to fund the running of Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre.

She also asked whether this would be a one-off spend, or an annual cost.

Cllr Etheridge said he was seeking approval for one-off spending before the council sought a private-sector party to run the leisure centre.

The cabinet member for leisure, Cllr Chris Morgan, said Caerphilly has “no plans to privatise our leisure centres”.

Turning to Cllr Etheridge’s notice of motion, Cllr Morgan said using reserves to fund maintenance “is like throwing good money after bad”.

“What happens when the reserves have gone?” he asked, adding “there is no magic money tree” for the council, which has to plug an estimated £47 million budget gap by 2028.

A committee vote on backing Cllr Etheridge’s proposals was tied, with Cllr Whitcombe using his deciding vote to quash the notice of motion.

Cllr Williams said he urged everyone interested in saving the leisure centre to respond to the ongoing public consultation and “make your views known”.

Cllr Morgan and head of leisure services Rob Hartshorn also urged residents to take part in the consultation.

To have your say, visit https://conversation.caerphilly.gov.uk/consultation-on-leisure-centres-2025