Blaenavon Heritage Centre bank holiday opening questioned
It would open on Bank Holiday Mondays but Janet Jones, an independent borough councillor who represents the town, told Torfaen council's July meeting 'even this has changed over the past months'.
She asked if budget cuts have forced the Monday closures and said: 'As we are trying to encourage more tourists to visit Torfaen's iconic landscapes why does this facility which is an information centre remain closed? I can probably accept early closure during the winter months but not in what is technically the tourist season from Easter to the end of October. Is the centre closed at a result of budget restraints?'
Council leader, Labour's Anthony Hunt, said Cllr Jones was 'right to question' the centre's closure on bank holiday Mondays as it 'attracts tourists and helps build footfall' but said it wasn't due to budget cuts.
Cllr Hunt said: 'Recent experience has demonstrated visitor numbers have been low when the centre has been open on bank holiday Mondays. Our staff are not contracted to work on Mondays and the centre not being open is due to practical and pragmatic reasons and not due to budget constraints.'
The Panteg councillor said officers are currently reviewing the centre's operations including opening hours and bank holiday and said Blaenavon councillors would be kept informed.
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