Residents Campaign to save Pontyclun’s Cafe 50

Mick Antoniw, Member of Senedd for Pontypridd and Member of Parliament Alex Davies-Jones are backing the campaign by local residents and user groups to save Pontyclun’s Café 50 – a much-valued community facility – following the decision by Pontyclun Community Council to allow the facility’s lease to lapse.

The decision, which has been made without any public consultation, will mean that organisations supporting people with dementia, cancer and older people will be amongst those who are likely to lose access to the facility.

Mick Antoniw said:

“Café 50 has been a cornerstone of the community for many years and is an important resource for charities and community groups who provide services, support and social opportunities to local people.

“This is the wrong decision at exactly the wrong time and to make such a significant decision without any consultation whatsoever is truly outrageous.”

According to Community Council minutes, the decision also puts at risk public access to toilet facilities and will potentially result in redundancies.

Alex Davies-Jones, Pontypridd’s Member of Parliament, who is also supporting the campaign said:

“Café 50 has been a fantastic community asset for people in Pontyclun for many years and I would urge Pontyclun Community Council to think carefully about the wider social impact of abandoning Café 50.

“At a minimum, those with an interest in the facility including user groups and those who rely on the social opportunities and toilet access should be consulted.”

Sheila Harris, from the local MacMillan support group said:

“In my view Café 50 is a cure for loneliness and I am dismayed at this decision.  Café 50 is a lifeline for people who have been diagnosed with cancer or who are in recovery and that will now be taken away.”

Anne Jackson, from the Pontyclun Dementia Support Group said:

“At a time when the cost of living crisis is adding significant pressure, there could not be a worse time to be doing this.  I am very disappointed in the Chairman Wayne Owen and I hope he’ll reconsider this decision very quickly.”

Mick Antoniw and Alex Davies-Jones added:

“Pontyclun Community Council appears to have washed its hands of Café 50 and the people who rely on it.  They admit that there is no guarantee of how the facility will operate once the lease lapses and returns to local authority control.

“The Community Council must stop and think about the consequences of its decision.  It must stop acting in a completely cavalier way and consult first with users and local people.”