Concerns have been raised by a local county councillor over changes to weekend opening hours at Tenby Leisure Centre due to be brought in after the summer.

Cllr Rhys Jordan who represents the wards of St Mary Out Liberty [New Hedges] and Sy Florence has written to the manager of the Pembrokeshire County Council run facility located on Marsh Road, this month, with regards to the importance of retaining early opening hours on a Saturday and Sunday.

“Many of you will have seen that Tenby Leisure Centre has announced changes to its weekend opening hours, due to start in September,” stated Cllr Jordan.

“While I welcome the later closing time of 5pm, I’m concerned about the loss of the early morning 7.30 to 8.30am slot, which will impact many regular users who rely on that time to fit in a swim or workout before work or family commitments.

“The change was only publicised overnight, with no prior consultation with members, something I feel strongly should have taken place.

“I understand the change may be to accommodate growing use of the fantastic 3G pitch [located at Greenhill School] and I’m genuinely delighted to see that facility being used to its full potential. It’s a brilliant asset for local clubs and young people, and long may that continue.

“However, the leisure centre itself exists to serve everyone, swimmers, gym users, families, and sports teams alike,” he continued.

“It’s vital that we find a way to support growing demand without disadvantaging one group to benefit another.

“I’ve written to the Centre Manager to raise these concerns and ask that the early opening is retained and that proper consultation is carried out with members before any such changes are introduced.

“If you’re affected or have thoughts to share, please do comment below or message me directly. I’m more than happy to take your views forward,” added Cllr Jordan.

Earlier this year, Cllr Jordan made a fresh call to look at the longevity of Tenby’s swimming pool at the leisure centre, after stating that its ‘close to failing’ condition, showed that it was nearing the end of its operational life.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet subsequently agreed to undertake a survey of the leisure centre building’s condition, subject to which they propose to invest £3.5 million into repairs and refurbishment that would extend the life of the pool by at least 10 years.

With Pembroke’s pool also being looked at by the Local Authority, Cllr Rhys Sinnett, PCC’s Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, explained back in April: “Pembrokeshire County Council is moving forward with the next phase of assessing both Tenby and Pembroke swimming pools to determine the works required to make the pools sustainable for the medium term future.

“The two facilities are now over 50 years of age and initial assessments have identified areas that will require addressing.

“I want to reiterate that this administration is committed to seeing high quality leisure facilities, including pools, maintained across the county,” he added.