B.L.A.S.T. Disputes many of the figures being used in the

discussions over the closure of Blaenavon Leisure centre and Pool

Figures can be presented in many different ways and it is our belief that the council is

deliberately making Blaenavons figures look a lot worse than

they actually are.

The following pages contain figures and quotes from sourced material (many from council documents) that tend to disagree with what the council would like

us to believe.

Running Cost per Hour

The May seminar quotes a running cost for Blaenavon of £96.35.

Blaenavon Centre dryside is open weekdays for 12 hours

Saturday for 9 hours and Sunday for 12 hours = 81 hours a week.

= 4131 annually. The poolside is open for 65,5 public hours and 14 hours for school use = 79.5 hours

= 4054 annually.

The total combined hours annually are 8185 hours.

The running costs for wet and dry side together are

Pontypool Active Living Centre = £127.04

Cwmbran Stadium =£121.50

Fairwater = £74.55 or £82.68 when the Managers wages are included in staff costs

Blaenavon = £52.63

Blaenavon

Cwmbran

Pontypool

Fairwater

Costs of Service Agreements 2006/07Cwmbran £45,650

Pontypool £27,400 (estimate based on 6 mnths opening)

Fairwater £12,800

Blaenavon £12,650 (no allowance made for closure)

BlaenavonCwmbranFairwater

Use of pool per member of population Number of visits to the pool per member of population 2005/06

Blaenavon 4.33

Cwmbran 0.66

Fairwater 2.71

Blaenavon

Cwmbran

Fairwater

Health and Fitness

Number of visits per member of population 2005/06

Blaenavon 2.6

Cwmbran 1.9

Fairwater 0.18

1. Pool use per member of population – the statistics suggest Cwmbran Pool should be closed.

2. Health and Fitness use – the statistics suggest Fairwater should close.

3. Service Agreement costs – to save the most money close Cwmbran.

Swimming Lessons at Blaenavon

Swimming lessons are very popular and often over-subscribed. There is normally a waiting list to attend.

In the breakdown offered within the user figures quoted for Blaenavon, just 4936 swimming lessons are shown out of a total of 6112 instructed

wet courses. Fairwater has a total of 14,643 for junior swimming lessons. Cwmbran has a total of 21,252 wet instructed courses.

Swimming lessons at Blaenavon had a maximum of 10 children for levels 1-6 and a maximum of 14 children for level 7 and 8. Levels 9 and

10 were taught alongside the Barracudas. 4 Adult classes were also offered at this centre.

Below are shown a total of 32 lessons, which at 10 children a lesson would give a total of 12,800 lessons over 40

weeks, or 14,080 over 44 weeks.

Monday 15.30 to 17.00 = 3 x 30 min

Tuesday 15.00 to 16.30 = 3 x 30 min

Wednesday 16.30 to 17.30 = 2 x 30 min (level 8)

Saturday 08.30 to 13.00 (shallow end) = 9 x 30 min

Saturday 08.30 to 11.00 (deep end) = 5 x 30 min

Sunday 08.30 to 12.30 = 8 x 30 min

Sunday 17.15 to 18.15 = 2 x 30 min (level 9 + level 10)

In addition there were adult classes on;

Monday 14.00 to 15.30 = 2 x 45 min (learners)

Tuesday 18.30 to 20.00 = 2 x 45 min (learners)

Saturday afternoons often run Lifesaving skills classes.

 

Summer Holiday intense swimming courses were offered during the school holidays. These are not being offered anywhere else.

 

Level 9 and 10 were taught at Blaenavon alongside Barracudas training. These levels have been unable to continue since the centre closed.

 

Private one to one lessons were offered at Blaenavon, and averaged 3 to 5 hours a week. These lessons have been unable to continue.

Cwmbran 21252

Fairwater 14643

Blaenavon 14080

Cwmbran and Fairwater already over subscribed

Where does the council propose to fit in 14000 lessons

So Actual Totals are

QUESTIONABLE NUMBERS

Why has £32,500 for a technical manager been allocated against Blaenavon when this post is divided across the

borough ?????????

Why has £40,000 for catering manager not been allocated against Fairwater ???????

Why is there no amount allocated against Fairwater for Operations Manager ??????

How is it possible that Full time posts , Part time posts , Number of posts , and Total hours are all higher at

Fairwater , yet employee costs are higher at Blaenavon ??????

QUESTIONABLE NUMBERS

There are several discrepancies in the numbers for attendance figures used by the council for this crucial

decision making process.

Specifically

YOGA (we know there was a well attended class going on where there are months of zero on the information held by

council)

MASTERS (a BLAST committee member was teaching a masters class for the whole time there are zero’s on the

information held by council)

INSTRUCTED COURSES (we know and have shown that the numbers are much higher than the council document

shows)

QUESTIONABLE NUMBERS

Blaenavon usage exceeds Fairwater in every area except clubs/groups.

If Yoga and Masters numbers were included then Blaenavon exceeds Fairwater here too .

As Blaenavon has the higher income we question the report that the council is using and believe strongly that

our case is being misrepresented in chambers.

Information being used is from Regeneration/overview/scrutiny committee,Agenda item 3

Feb 07

QUESTIONABLE NUMBERS

In Costs figures released this week by council they claim gas/electricity costs as £87,425 with £74,214 allocated

against the pool alone

An Independent Gas/Electricity supplier estimates the gas/electricity use for both sides together as being a

maximum of £35,000

QUESTIONABLE NUMBERS

Councils estimate for staffing costs of the pool alone are £293,450

We think the staff at the centre may disagree with this total

All of the figures requested by BLAST are available to view

They are not only questionable but laughable

Possible Staffing Costs for Blaenavon Pool 

 

We have been advised that to operate the pool we would need a duty officer, minimum of 3 lifeguards, and a receptionist.

Advertised rates on Torfaen’s website for the following positions are; 

Duty officer = £12.01

Lifeguard = £6.02 (minimum of 3)

Receptionist = £7.18 - £7.53 (65 hours cover)

 

With the pool open for around 84 hours and employing 4 to 5 staff during all opening hours, an approximate wages bill has been

calculated. 

We have not allowed for employers contributions to pensions and National insurance, but we can’t really imagine they would cost an

additional £136,653.

 

Our staffing levels and rate of pay

give a wages cost of

£3015.33 a week, or

£156,797.16 a year - yet

Torfaen are quoting a figure of

£293,450 to staff just the pool side.

Transport Costs

£5.60 for adults 

£3.70 for children

Per visit to take part in activities at the Pontypool Active Living Centre. These are public transport costs in addition to any charges charged at the

centre. Private transport has costs to the environment. Also Pontypool may of course have no spaces available when you arrive.

The missing 70%

Torfaen Council think that closing Blaenavon Sports Hall would mean that users “would need to commute to another centre”*. As an example, they state that if 30% of those people went to other leisure centres they

would retain £28,000 of income.

This means that the council consider it possible that 70% of users of Blaenavon Sports Hall would no longer use a leisure centre!

* From the Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee report 1/12/06 agenda item 4.

“The catchment area for each centre tends to be local”*Why don’t they care about that ?

Distance Most of the population of Cwmbran and Pontypool are within 1 mile of leisure facilities. All of the population of Cwmbran and Pontypool are within 2 miles of leisure facilities.   

While our facilities are closed all of the population of Blaenavon are 6 or more

miles from a leisure centre. Pontypool has proved to be unable to cope with all the North Torfaen people who travel there.

Clearly it would be totally unable to cope if all those who used to attend Blaenavon

centre travelled to Pontypool. So the closure will force many people to stop

taking part in valuable even vital physical activities.

Sports Council for WalesGuidance on Leisure Centre Provision

The Sports Council for Wales offers guidance on the number of leisure centres a population of Torfaen’s size should have.

Using this advice, unmet demand in Torfaen for sports hall provision is 39.8%*

Yet Torfaen Council appears to be advocating a policy of increasing unmet demand in their area – clearly with North

Torfaen suffering the most.

* Regeneration Report Torfaen County Borough Council 11-12-2006

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

Torfaen Council spent £30,000 on consultancy fees looking at sites in Blaenavon in 2005.

This report recommended Hillside school’s existing site as the favourable site for a new

school.

The Council has now employed another consultant who has said that the only suitable

site in Blaenavon for the proposed development is the Swimming pool and Leisure centre site.

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

The Health centre aspect of this proposed development is not required. The health board has already held consultancy and

plans are in place for them to start building our all singing, all dancing new

medical centre next year.

On their preferred site – the existing Health centre site !

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

The Police aspect of the proposed development is pointless.

We have minimal Police presence .

We already have a Police Station.

The council states that there is “adequate alternative leisure provision locally”

These statements are obviously made by car owners who never have to drive between

Blaenavon and Pontypool.

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

Council Leader BobWellington ,said at members seminar

“Blaenavon should be grateful for the millions already invested”

We would like to know why all these millions have not been invested in the

school buildings and leisure services,that have been crumbling for years that the

people of North Torfaen need.

OTHER COMMENTS

Why should we be grateful for money that could only be spent in Blaenavon due to its historical importance.

For funding that could only be claimed in Blaenavon due to the general poverty in the area.

How can they expect a town where 32.4% of the population do not own a car to see Pontypool as local.

Until this announcement regarding pool closure there was a generally optimistic view about the

future of Blaenavon , but now people are beginning to see the regeneration of the town centre and

visitor attractions as robbing them of money that could have been spent on vital services.

We at BLAST know this is not actually the case and all the money has come ring fenced from European and Heritage grant aid, but it is obvious from the

councillor’s comments in chamber and in the press, that most of the councillors in the south of the

borough feel that Blaenavon is getting money that they can’t, and doesn’t deserve any more.

WHY SHOULD BLAENAVON LOSE ITS POOL WHEN THERE ARE 5

WITHIN 3 MILES IN CWMBRAN/PONTYPOOL

AND FAIRWATER POOL COSTS AS MUCH TO RUN BUT IS USED FAR LESS BY ITS LOCAL POPULATION

WE DON’T WANT TO SEE EITHER FACILITY CLOSED BUT WE BELIEVE IT WOULD BE FAR FAIRER TO CLOSE

A CWMBRAN POOL

AS PROPOSAL STOOD IN DECEMBER WE WERE HAVING THIS NEW

DEVELOPMENT – INCLUDING THE POOL

NOBODY IN BLAENAVON WOULD BE OBJECTING IF THIS WAS STILL THE

CASE

WE KNOW WE NEED A NEW SCHOOL

DON’T FORGET THAT TORFAEN IS ALREADY FACING A 39.8% SHORTFALL IN PROVIDING

SPORTS HALL FACILITIES IN THE BOROUGH AS A WHOLE

HOW MUCH OF A SHORTFALL IN SWIMMING PROVISION DOES 14000 LESSONS CREATE

WHAT ARE THE CHILDREN OF NORTH TORFAEN SUPPOSED TO DO FOR THE FIVE YEARS THEY

HAVE NO FACILITIES AT ALL…………APART FROM GROW UP – MOST OF THEM ENOUGH TO START

PAYING COUNCIL TAX.

RESCUE PACKAGE

Blaenavon Town Council met this week and unanimously

Voted to support the taking over of the pool from Torfaen for 2 years while we wait for several exciting funding opportunities

to come to fruition in 08/09. All of the Councillors offered their entire budget for these 2 years

This would be a joint venture with a working committee comprising town councillors and members of BLAST, Both

completely open to public comments/consultation

Many other pools across the country are run in this way

Why has the Council refused to consider this proposal

COUNCIL’S “VISION”

The Councils vision depends upon various funding pots for different parts of the development

The Health Board are finding it very difficult to move as they are on Covenanted land

The Heads of the valleys funding relies on this being an integrated centre and will undoubtedly be affected by the withdrawal of any

other partner ,which in turn will vastly reduce any ‘extra’ facilities, currently being touted by the council

With the Councils record in this type of development (think Superschool) Our fear is that all that will replace our Pool and

Recreation centre will be a basic school provision

Which is all the Council will actually guarantee we are getting

The Recreation centre also stands on Covenanted land which states that the council will maintain and run the provided facilities unless

they are being replaced by something “of greater interest to the inhabitants of the urban district”

How can it be for the greater interest of the local inhabitants to remove facilities that will not be replaced

The Council Have to provide Schools, they have no choice in this matter , and will be fined by the Welsh Assembly if schools are not fit for purpose by 2012. They simply wish to use the savings they make by closing our Leisure facilities, to borrow against to build

our new school. So we cost them nothing.

COVENANT

The Council says Blaenavon has had £20million spent on it over

8 years.

£2.7 Million has actually come from Torfaen CBC

The rest from European ,Heritage and Objective one Funds

Break that £2.7M down over 8 years

That’s £ 337,500 a year

For a World Heritage Town

Which has had little or no investment for the previous 40 years

And now attracts 1000’s of tourists a week into Torfaen benefiting

The whole area

BLAST and Blaenavon Town Council are looking at several legal angles to delay the demolition of the site which is documented as

starting on 31st JULY 2007

Council are not even willing to look at our options

Council have not allowed us to present our case on a level playing field – We have been subjected to 3 powerpoint presentations

We are not allowed to present – only to speak

For a timed 5 minutes……and next week 10 minutes

And again “we should be grateful for this privilege”

Shouldn’t we be allowed to at least try to save our own pool

The Council knows, once its demolished we don’t stand a chance

CONSULTATION PERIOD

A 3 Month consultation period is normal

Pontypool had a full consultation period and Public Meeting

Brookfield Primary school and Hollybush school have been consulting for years and had 3 Public Meetings

Monthly Public Meetings are held about the Canal Project

Torfaen is match funding the Canal Project

£5.7 Million

Using 1Million of TCBC money

+ £25 Million Lottery Funding

Means this one project outstrips the cost of refitting

Blaenavon over the last 8 yrs by

38%

Also Pontypool has had £90,000 of capitol works funding this year and an extra £130,000 for staffing

and the Regeneration of the Riverside begins