Tyler Chambers, Welsh Conservative candidate for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, has written to both Powys County Council and the Welsh Government demanding urgent action to protect the county's leisure centres ahead of a decision expected next month.
The Rhayader-raised candidate, who grew up on the Maes Y Brenin estate and has spent his life in Mid Wales, has urged the Lib Dem-Labour Cabinet at Powys County Council to halt proposals that could see fourteen leisure centres reduced to just five core hubs, leaving communities in Presteigne, Rhayader, Llanfyllin and Builth Wells without local facilities.
Mr Chambers said: "These leisure centres are the heartbeat of our rural communities. For families across Powys, there is no alternative down the road, if their local centre closes, it simply closes. That means children who can't learn to swim, older residents who lose their only social exercise, and families who lose access to facilities that keep them healthy and active.
"Closing these centres doesn't save money, it shifts the cost onto the NHS, onto GPs and hospitals, at a time when Powys already faces some of the worst rural health inequalities in Wales.”
Mr Chambers has also written to the Welsh Government asking them to engage directly with Powys County Council before the decision is made, and has posed a series of questions to both parties, including whether a full impact assessment has been carried out on affected residents, whether the long-term cost to health and social care services has been considered, and crucially, whether the Welsh Government has had any communication with Powys about the proposed closures.
He added: "I want to know whether the New Welsh Government is even aware of the scale of what is being proposed here, and whether they have been consulted. These are not just local decisions, they have consequences for Welsh Government health targets and for the future of rural Wales.
"After months of uncertainty surrounding these facilities, Mr Chambers says the time has come for Powys County Council to give local residents the reassurance they deserve, that their leisure centres will remain open.
“Residents across Powys have been living with this uncertainty for far too long. They need clarity, and they need confidence that the facilities they rely on are not going to be taken away from them. I will work with local residents to fight off the possibility of closure and make sure their voices are heard loud and clear."
Mr Chambers is also calling on local councillors and the newly elected Members of the Senedd to play their part. "If we find ourselves in a position next month where these leisure centres are facing closure, I hope that local councillors and our newly elected MS will stand with their communities and challenge Powys County Council. This is exactly the moment that elected representatives need to step up and be counted,” said the Conservative spokesperson.
