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“Caerphilly Town in 2035 will be a renowned tourist destination…”

Not my words, but the first lines of the about us page on the Caerphilly 2035 website. For those who don’t know, Caerphilly 2035 is the brand umbrella name for a variety of council-backed projects including the new container market and the planned transport interchange.

Everything about the future of Caerphilly town, we are being told by those in charge, centres around tourism.

The £40m railway and bus station, council leaders believe, will be the herald for a wave of visitors who will wash down Cardiff Road into the new £4.6m container market before taking in Caerphilly Castle and its £10m worth of improvements.

It makes the decision to close our tourist information centre all the more baffling – where does that fit into the strategy?

We’ve covered stories in the past where the council’s tourism strategy has been questioned, and this looks like another example of it being wanting.

I spoke with a senior individual in the council about the closure of the centre.

During the conversation they argued it wasn’t a tourist information centre and that taxpayers shouldn’t be subsidising a coffee shop – especially with statutory services under increasing pressure.

On the face of it they are right. During the meeting in which staff were told about the closure, the council’s regeneration services manager Allan Dallimore said the venue was running at a £90,000 deficit. It is unclear if this figure includes the upkeep of the public toilets – the future provision of which is also unclear.

There has always been financial pressure on the centre – and that’s the reason why it’s no longer officially known as the tourist information centre, but rather the rebranded Coffi Vista.

In face of previous budget cuts, its manager Martin Cook, a man I have known for almost 20 years, has pretty much single-handedly kept the place running with little support from the council.

He is the one who has had to create the food and drinks service to keep it going. He has been forced to move its focus.

Without him, there would be no tourist information centre at all. Despite it not having that name anymore, Coffi Vista is still regarded by visitors as the place to go for information.

It is clear the council does not want to fund a tourist information centre, otherwise they’d be working to keep it open.

Caerphilly County Borough Council has a stunning asset in the building, right in the heart of the town, which it wants to sweat to generate money. A paying commercial tenant would satisfy that, so why not have an official tourist information centre in the new market or the new railway station?

These options weren’t discussed with staff and that’s the real issue here.

Staff have been aware for months, through rumours of conversations high up in the council, about closing Coffi Vista. At no point were they asked for ideas and solutions to keep it going – although they have plenty.

What’s also concerning, but unsurprising, was the nature of the decision. Cabinet is made up of senior councillors which decide on policy and make decisions based on officer reports.

Its meetings are open, but this is just the scripted performance for the public. It has long been suspected that the actual meeting, with debate and discussion, takes place away from the cameras.

The council’s Allan Dallimore confirmed this when he told staff a decision had been made in December by “informal cabinet” following discussions with senior council bosses.

Without engaging with staff; the many locals who use the centre; or the current paying tenant of the art gallery downstairs; let alone tourists; it is clear the council does not see the real value of what the centre offers. To them, it is simply a £90,000 figure marked in red on a spreadsheet.

The centre’s true value

Martin studied at Ystrad Mynach College (which is now part of Coleg y Cymoedd). I spoke with him the morning after he was told about the pending closure.

He was visibly upset and told me he felt betrayed. He was devastated at the thought of losing the job he loves.

We kept on getting interrupted by people asking him what was going on. He told me it felt that people who visited the centre were an extended family.

There is a picture of a gentleman on display who lost his battle with lung cancer. He used to come in with his wife. When he passed away, she continued to visit – finding comfort in continuing the visits.

While I was there, a person with additional needs shouted to Martin asking if they could eat their lunch at the centre. Greeting them with a smile and a hug, Martin replied to them ‘of course’ and ‘it was great to see them again’.

And let’s not forget Y Galeri downstairs. Owner Karen Evans was crying when I spoke with her. In the two years since she took over she has built a community of artists and regularly works with children from schools across the area. She visits them, they visit her.

When I was speaking with her, a customer came in. Karen told her of the uncertainty facing the gallery because of the decision to close Coffi Vista. She doesn’t know if the council will let her stay and if she does, then will the rent she pays go up?

The customer was shocked and sharply replied: “The council need to get a grip – not shut everything down.”

The centre is more than a number on a spreadsheet.

What happens now?

While council officials, and the cabinet, have unofficially taken the decision to close Coffi Vista, there is still time to potentially save it.

Cabinet will meet on January 17 to discuss the budget, before a final budget decision is made by a meeting of full council.

Whether there is the political will to find a solution to save the community hub remains to be seen, but you can contact your local councillor to tell them it needs to be saved – for the benefit of our community and visitors to the area.

Plaid Cymru councillors are also organising a protest outside the centre at 10.30am on Saturday January 13.

But there are other ways too. Is there the potential for Martin and his team to take the building over as a Community Interest Company? This would need the co-operation and the will of the council to work, and of course Martin to lead it (if he was willing).

Coffi Vista is kitted out with catering and coffee-making equipment – some of it brand new. What will happen to that? In all likelihood it will be written-off and thrown out. Wouldn’t it be better to gift it to a CIC to continue to provide a service there?

Freed from council control, the centre would also benefit from a business rates discount that it currently can’t get because it’s a public building.

The turnover of Coffi Vista is £350,000 a year. For reasons that I don’t fully understand, it can’t open beyond 5.30pm under council control.

One of the ideas suggested by the staff to boost income included renting the space out in the evening to a pop-up kitchen operator. This could become another means to generate vital revenue.

There are solutions out there, but the council needs to be open to them.

Richard Gurner

Richard is the editor and publisher of Caerphilly Observer – which he set up in 2009. Growing up in Abertridwr, he started his career at the now defunct Campaign before stints at the Barry and District News and Brighton Argus.
He can be contacted at richard@caerphilly.observer