Llancaiach Fawr to be mothballed as council warns of more difficult decisions

The Grade I listed building is thought to have been built in 1530.

Historic site Llancaiach Fawr will be mothballed at the end of the year, the council which runs it has announced.

Caerphilly Council's cabinet says the attraction costs £485,000 to manage a year and it's "exploring options for the facility to be run in a different way in the future".

The local authority has said it must deliver savings in the region of £45million over the next two years to survive, warning there are still more difficult decisions ahead.

Council leader Sean Morgan said: “We appreciate many will be disappointed by this decision, but the current subsidy of £485,000 to run the site is unsustainable in the current financial climate.

"A similar decision was made earlier this year to close Coffi Vista in Caerphilly and we are now looking forward to the building reopening with an exciting new future, without requiring a council subsidy.

"This is what we hope to replicate at Llancaiach Fawr.”

  • At the start of this year ITV Wales' Kate Lewis visited Llancaiach Fawr to see the restoration work that had been undertaken at the site

The announcement comes as Caerphilly Council had also proposed to cut its meal delivery service in a bid to save £444,000 per year. However its cabinet has now opted to continue the service.

The meals on wheels service delivers around 125,000 meals a year to around 320 people, and is supported by a workforce of more than 30 caterers, drivers and helpers.

A council statement said: "The council’s cabinet met this week to consider the feedback and agreed to continue providing the service, while developing a range of further options to make the delivery of Meals Direct sustainable over the long-term."

Caerphilly Council announced proposals in June to cut the Meals Direct service by November this year.

Cllr Morgan added: “I’m sure residents and service users will welcome this decision, which clearly shows we have listened to the feedback from the community and responded accordingly.

“We will now work closely with the Meals Direct team to review and reconfigure the service in future, so that it does not require the current high level of subsidy. We will, of course, keep service users informed and updated throughout this process.”

“Whilst many will welcome this news, it is important to note that we still have an unprecedented savings target to meet and we will now have to consider other options to deliver savings. Unfortunately, there are still further difficult decisions ahead."

A decision was also made to close the Hive Café, which is a service for council staff and elected members, located within the council's headquarters Penallta House.

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