Independent and Labour councillors have clashed on a proposal about the future of leisure services in Merthyr Tydfil. The opposition Labour group’s motion, which called on the authority to start a consultation with the public, leisure trust and trade unions with the aim of returning control of leisure services to the council, was passed at full council on Wednesday, September 7.
But independent councillors questioned its legality and accused Labour of “political posturing” and said that the motion was “reckless and irresponsible.” The motion submitted by Councillor Kevin Gibbs said full council previously decided to remove leisure services from council control and set up the Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust - now known as Wellbeing @ Merthyr.
It said the rationale for this move was to give control of leisure services to the trust allowing it to apply for external funding and operate in a manner that would benefit and improve leisure services for the residents of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough and the trust started operating formally in April 2015. The motion added: “One of the six pledges published in the Labour Group’s election manifesto was ‘in the first six months of a new council to consult on the changes and implications of bringing leisure services in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough back under the control of the local authority.
