Campaign To Save Ammanford Town Hall Is A Success

Campaigners fighting to save Ammanford Town Hall and Old Library are celebrating the news that Carmarthenshire Council are no longer seeking to close either of the buildings.

Thousands of local residents and traders signed the joint Unison-Welsh Labour petition calling on Carmarthenshire Council to safeguard the future of Ammanford Town Hall and the Old Library, with employees also staging a ‘walk out’ last month over the initial plans to close both buildings.

The revised Agile Working Plan is set to be considered by the Executive Board next week, with new plans to close Parc Amanwy in Ammanford. The Council’s new proposals would see Parc Amanwy, Nant y Ci and 5-8 Spillman Street close, with hundreds of staff members being affected by changes.

Speaking in Ammanford, Deputy Labour Leader, Cllr Rob James stated ‘We would like to thank the thousands of local residents and businesses that supported our campaign to save Ammanford Town Hall and Old Library. It is fantastic to hear that both buildings will now be retained by the local authority.

‘Whilst it is pleasing to hear that the Executive Board have listened to our concerns over the initial proposals to close both buildings in Ammanford, we are disappointed that they are now considering disposing of Parc Amanwy. Frankly, this policy has been mishandled from day one and the latest news provides little reassurance to staff members.’

‘Our focus continues to be ensuring that we prevent jobs leaving our town centres. These new proposals are projected to impact even more staff members than the initial proposals, with very little detail of where these employees will be based.

‘It’s a fantasy to state that all jobs in Parc Amanwy will continue to be based in Ammanford. More staff will be asked to work remotely, with a diminished service to taxpayers and further pressures on our overworked employees. With the Executive Board Member’s refusal to rule out closing Glanamman depot in the future, this Plaid-led Council pose a serious risk to the future economy of the Amman and Gwendraeth Valleys.

‘Equally, these proposals would also impact heavily on Carmarthen town centre, with 58 employees from 5-8 Spillman Street being affected, as well as dozens currently working in 3 Spillman Street. Even the East Gate development in Llanelli is not immune from the cuts with 25% of the space being freed up by asking employees to work remotely.

‘We will continue to fight against this policy and we hope that local residents across Carmarthenshire will continue to support our efforts on this matter.’