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Peredur Owen Griffiths, who represents Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

Caerphilly County Borough Council were in the headlines for the wrong reasons again this month after it emerged that they plan to close the building known locally as the tourist information centre.

Located in a prime location opposite Caerphilly’s medieval castle and adjacent to cenotaph, this building houses the popular Coffi Vista as well as an art gallery on the ground floor and the only public toilets in the town centre.

The decision came as a big shock to the council employees that run Coffi Vista. The person behind the private art gallery that leases the space on the ground floor has also been left distraught at the news after years spent building up the business and developing the local artist community.

Unsurprisingly, many local people have expressed their dismay at the news that this popular spot could be closed within just a few months. A protest has been organised for this Saturday morning and I will be going along to show my support for the continuation of the excellent visitor experience that is provided to shoppers.

Once again, consultation undertaken by Caerphilly County Borough Council appears to be wanting. It is right that the local authority has embarked upon a regeneration plan but it requires careful consideration and engagement with the public if they are to take people with them. From my experience of speaking to people and the public meeting held last summer about town centre redevelopment, both traders and shoppers feel frozen out of the cabinet’s decision-making.

While it is true that Coffi Vista is popular locally, we must also be mindful that it is a focal point for visitors to the town, many of them from abroad. During my trips into the town centre over the years, I have come across tourists who have travelled halfway across the world to visit our magnificent castle and take in the heritage our town has to offer. What kind of message does the closure of the tourist information centre send to our international visitors?

For a local authority that claims to be driven by increasing the footfall in the town as well as improving the experience for shoppers and visitors alike, this seems like an incredibly odd decision. The context in all of this is the need to save cash due to a combination of Labour Government budget mismanagement and the appalling austerity politics that have come down the line to Wales from Westminster.

It is undeniable that times are tough for all local authorities in Wales. Tough decisions will have to made. However, when the Labour-led local authority is spending somewhere in the region of £40m on a controversial transport interchange and a further £4.6m on a container market – all with the intention of making the town more attractive – the decision to pull the plug on the tourist information centre is baffling and contradictory.

In their bid to make the books balance, the Labour-led council have a difficult job ahead of them. This is something I have made clear to all local authority leaders in Wales.

However, it is imperative that the Labour cabinet in Caerphilly County Borough avoids falling into the trap of becoming a local authority that knows the cost of everything but does not see the value of anything.