Senior officers in Caerphilly have not had any new talks about closing Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre, the council’s chief executive has confirmed.
The centre was saved from the axe last year following community opposition to the council’s closure plans, with decision-makers instead opting to reduce its opening hours.
A similar reduction has since been implemented at the council’s leisure centre in New Tredegar.
But a new budget report shows reducing hours at some centres was “adding to income pressures”.
Speaking at a local authority scrutiny committee meeting, on Tuesday September 1, Cllr Shane Williams asked why this was the case.
“What does that mean for a centre like Cefn Fforest that has already had its hours cut significantly?” he asked.
Council service director Jeff Reynolds said changes around hours reductions were “significant” and had “taken a little bit of time to bed in”.
Richard Edmunds, the council’s chief executive, added the report “does refer to reduced hours in the leisure centres, but also the removal of vacant posts”.
“Sometimes across services, those vacant posts can provide a buffer in terms of any pressures within the service,” he explained. “Jeff’s responded to say that is the case here.”
Cllr Kevin Etheridge, from the neighbouring Blackwood ward, asked whether there had been any discussion among top officers “to close Cefn Fforest Leisure Centre in the future”.
“No there has not,” replied Mr Edmunds.
The decision to reduce the leisure centre’s hours came under scrutiny earlier this year, when Blackwood councillor Nigel Dix learned the swimming pool there was still being heated around the clock.
Cllr Dix said he feared the council was “setting it up to fail” and would “ultimately argue it costs too much money” to run.
Cllr Chris Morgan, the cabinet member for leisure, said at the time there would be no closure of the leisure centre.
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