Labour cabinet member Coun Ashley Govier said Council Tax will have to rise in order to keep open Cardiff’s play centres.
This follows the announcement for centres to be spared another year after the Labour party endorsed a proposal to explore new ways of running them. The proposal is one of three that was put forward.
The funding of the centres is guaranteed for a maximum of one year, and no longer. Coun Govier’s stated as a result of the centre’s staying open, people would see a council tax increase of 3.97% when last year there was no increase.
He said: “The council will no longer be able to keep funding the centres in the future. If we don’t increase the council tax there is no way we could afford running the centre.
“The referendum is not legally binding. The outcome we need to achieve is long-term sustainability for the centre.”
The Grangetown play centre will have to find funding by Christmas and this stands as Coun Govier’s goal.
The cabinet is expected to officially vote on the proposal on Wednesday when its members will finalise their budget proposals for 2014/15.
But for many concerned parents, the fight is not over yet.
A 45-year-old local father, Rob Gee-Wing, of Clive Road, reacted to the news. He said: “It’s an immediate relief off our shoulders at the moment.”
“But he is prepared to go ahead with a public meeting to trigger a referendum on the centre’s future.
He said: “I urge all Grangetown residents to still come polling on February 26 at 6pm in Channel View.”
Other parents are also preparing to continue the fight to save the centre that for many is part of their community’s history.
Deb Cummings, who has sent her three children to the centre over the past 20 years, said: “I also used to play at the centre when I was little. We’ve got to go ahead with out vote, our referendum is going to go ahead.”
