Neil Kinnock, former MP for Islwyn and leader of the Labour Party between 1983 and 1992, has joined other former and current Islwyn MPs to oppose the closing of two leisure centres in the county.
Plans to close and demolish Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre were approved by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet in December, before being abandoned following public disapproval.
Petitions to save both Pontllanfraith and Cefn Fforest leisure centres gained more than 1,200 signatures in their first week in August, but fears that they remain under threat persist.
Now a joint statement has been released by Lord Kinnock alongside former MP Lord Don Touhig and current MP Chris Evans, stressing the importance of leisure centres to public health and wellbeing, and their place at the heart of communities in the county.
In the joint statement, the three said: “In many of our local villages and towns, leisure centres are the beating heart of the community. They are a place for families to teach their children to swim and to learn to play sports. They are somewhere for the young and old to enjoy themselves with friends while leading an active lifestyle.
“That is why we strongly oppose the potential closure of leisure centres in Islwyn. They are too important to close and their loss would be deeply and widely felt across the community.”
“In Caerphilly County Borough Council’s draft Sports and Active Recreation Strategy, the Council point out that 74% of adults in the County Borough do not meet national physical activity guidelines. Over half of the adults in the County Borough are overweight.
“The link between exercise and health, including mental health, is clear and well-established. It is vital that residents have the best possible access to sports and physical activities. This is what leisure centres are about.”
A Caerphilly Council Scrutiny Committee report in June showed Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre was visited over 74,000 times last year, while Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre and its swimming pool were visited over 66,000 times.
The statement continued: “Every time these two leisure centres have been marked for closure, the community has rallied to their defence. The strength of feeling among residents and their elected representatives, in opposition to closures, is very high. We hope the council will listen to them.
“Nobody can deny the challenges faced by local government. But closure of leisure centres would be a terrible retreat from good community standards. That is why imaginative and innovative solutions are more important now than ever before.”