Call for council to be ‘transparent’ over future of Blackwood Miners’ Institute

A Blackwood councillor has called for more transparency over the future of the town’s Miners’ Institute.

The cultural venue, which is due to celebrate its centenary in 2025, has been earmarked for “mothballing” by Caerphilly County Borough Council, as part of money-saving proposals.

Cllr Kevin Etheridge, an independent, said the council should be more willing to share updates on possible avenues towards keeping the venue open or making it sustainable in the future.

The council currently subsidises the ‘Stute to £347,000 annually but claims it has to take “difficult decisions” to plug a £45 million budget gap.

The mothballing plan has come under fire, however, by critics who accused the council of making “cuts in the wrong places”.

More than 7,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the ‘Stute to stay open, and in September a sea of demonstrators marched through Blackwood voicing their opposition to the council’s proposals.

The local authority has since been forced to put the mothballing plan “on hold”, over complications involving the venue’s charitable status and the council role as its trustees while also being involved in the decision-making process.

It has sought legal advice on the matter and has also approached outside bodies for support – and it is on this latter venture which Cllr Etheridge said the council should be more forthcoming with information.

“I believe an elected member who is trying to save the ‘Stute should be provided with all the information by the council being open and transparent,” he said, explaining that his attempts to request those details from the council had been rejected because of commercial sensitivity.

In response, a Caerphilly Council spokesperson said: “We are keeping local elected members updated and this engagement will continue. 

“A councillor recently submitted a Freedom of Information request for sensitive documents linked to ongoing discussions about the future of the site, but this was refused due to commercial interests.”

The council spokesperson said an update on support for the venue could be forthcoming this month.

“The council is currently considering a way forward for the venue based on the legal advice received,” they explained. “This will include the most appropriate mechanism for decision making and, once this has been considered, we will prepare a report about the future of the venue.

“An application has also been submitted to the Arts Council for Wales for resilience funding to assist with transitioning to a new delivery model or new trustee model. We should know the outcome of this bid in December.

“The venue will remain open until March 31, 2025 and the council will continue to keep the community and staff updated about developments.”