At the meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s cabinet on Monday 8 September Councillor Simon Hancock made a statement about the Neyland Youth Club facility. The county council is proposing to close the present building which is in poor condition and relocate the sessions to an alternative location within the town.

Councillor Hancock states:

‘Neyland Youth Club will not be closed down in Easter 2015, nor is it being transferred out of the town. True, the number of sessions are to be reduced to two (the same number as for
Haverfordwest) but this is on account of a 50% drop in the number of young people attending the

Neyland club in just over three years. The number is now down to 116. I am going to fight hard to ensure: The club is being relocated to the PRIDE building near the High Street car park and will be specifically branded as the new youth club. The services offered by the excellent Neyland youth worker staff will be refreshed, and varied and there is a remarketing and re-launch of youth services in the town. If there is increased attendance as a result of the rebranding I have secured the agreement of officers to add an additional session bringing the total up to three.

The old youth club, together with the disused Day Centre and Infants school and the land to the rear present an excellent regeneration possibility for the town of Neyland. The county council is sure to realise a significant amount from any sale. At cabinet I warned my colleagues that if and when that occurred I would be reminding them of further investment in the opportunities for young people in Neyland in the interests of fairness to the community.

Councillor Simon Hancock

11 September 2014