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Caerphilly Council’s Pontllanfraith House closure takes a step closer

News | | Published: 14:00, Friday January 23rd, 2015.

The closure of Pontllanfraith House is a step closer after a council committee supported proposals for it to close.

The Caerphilly County Borough Council offices have been highlighted for closure to save £736,000 a year, on top of £2.5 million that could be raised from its sale.

Members of the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee passed proposals to sell the building as part of a bid to save £29m over the next three years.

But Islwyn councillors have spoken out against the proposals amid fears services will be lost in the area.

Councillor Gez Kirby, who represents Labour in Pontllanfraith, said: “We all recognise our council’s need to make savings because of the Tory Westminster government’s cuts.

“But people in Pontllanfraith, and across Islwyn, value access to council services at T? Pontllanfraith, and our local economy benefits from the office’s presence.”

Nigel Dix, Labour councillor for Blackwood, said: “I opposed this and brought up a number of alternatives. Those alternatives were rejected, but it has to go to full council. I argued that should it close, then some money from the receipt of the sale should go to an office in Blackwood.

“If we can’t keep the building, I’d like the council to keep the services in the area, so people continue to get access to the local authority’s housing and planning services.”

Cllr Dix said officers were considering moving services to an office in Islwyn and also allayed fears that if sold for development, houses could be built on green land.

He said: “They can only build on the footprint of the building and the carpark – not in the surrounding park which is reserve land.”

Trade unions also supported the proposals in a bid to save jobs, as workers would be transferred elsewhere.

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