Leisure centre opening hours could be cut in latest money-saving plan

Opening hours at New Tredegar Leisure Centre could be slashed under council cost-cutting plans.

Caerphilly County Borough Council has proposed cutting weekday hours, shutting completely on Saturdays, and limiting opening to two days a week except in the winter months.

It argues the proposal would “balance community access with the financial pressures facing the service, and reflects usage patterns across the year”.

Two public consultation sessions will be held at the centre in early December.

Initial reaction has been mixed, with the council’s opposition leader calling the proposal “heartbreaking” given it was only in May this year that a previous plan to shut the centre was abandoned.

At the time of that u-turn, the council’s cabinet recognised “robust” opposition to the plan to shut the centre, and its potential impact on leisure centre users, and instead agreed to keep the centre open but with reduced hours .

A council report from May shows New Tredegar Leisure Centre recorded 10,000 visitors in the 2023/24 financial year.

The new proposals, published this week, are to cut opening times on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1pm to 8pm throughout the year.

The council would also reduce opening hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4pm to 8pm – and would only open on those days “during the winter months when demand for club and community activity is highest”.

According to the council, public feedback to the original closure plans has influenced the new proposals.

Cllr Chris Morgan, the cabinet member for leisure, said: “Thank you to everyone who shared their views during the earlier engagement.

“That feedback has helped shape this proposal, which aims to retain access where demand is strongest while supporting the long-term sustainability of the service.

“We encourage users to attend the upcoming sessions and share any further views they may have.”

Consultation sessions will take place at New Tredegar Leisure Centre on Thursday December 4 from 10.30am to 1.30pm, and on Tuesday December 9 from 5pm to 8pm.

The council said it would “review all feedback before confirming final operational arrangements”.

Reacting to the proposals, Cllr Charlotte Bishop, the leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: “The people of New Tredegar poured their hearts into saving this leisure centre, and it’s heartbreaking that we’re back here again, defending something so precious to our community.

“This isn’t just a building with a timetable – it’s a warm, safe space where children grow in confidence, where women find strength and friendship, and where so many of us go to feel connected and supported.”

Cllr Bishop said she was “glad residents are being given another chance to speak up, but it shouldn’t fall to our communities to fight every time the council feels the pressure”.

“We deserve stability, fairness and a future we can trust,” she added. “I urge everyone who cares about New Tredegar to attend the drop-in sessions and make sure our voices, our stories and our needs are impossible to ignore.”

Local councillor Eluned Stenner, who is also the cabinet member for finance, said: “As the ward member for New Tredegar, I recognise the value of this important community facility and I’m pleased that the cabinet responded positively to feedback from local residents about the future of the site.

“The suggested way forward will see the centre remain open throughout the year, albeit with reduced opening hours, which means it will be accessible to the public and support our children in the area.

“This is a sensible compromise and I would encourage all users to get involved in the engagement to ensure that this happens.”

Cllr Nigel Dix, the council’s independent group leader, said: “I fully appreciate the financial pressure the council is under, which has been made worse by central and Welsh Government’s failure to prioritise and protect local government resulting in higher council tax rises and fewer services for communities across Caerphilly”.

He noted Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre had also had its hours cut, and said community services were “under threat, leading to potential job losses and uncertainty for our employees”.

“It is essential that local communities are fully engaged in the process and not ignored,” added Cllr Dix. “I hope that the reduction in opening hours at New Tredegar Leisure Centre is not the thin end of the wedge, and the centre remains open.”