THE decision to close Plascrug Leisure Centre’s café will not be reconsidered despite over 500 people signing a petition urging Ceredigion County Council to revisit its decision.

While the petition called on the authority to consider asking for tenders for people to provide the service and reconsider the closure deci­sion, council leader Ellen ap Gwynn insisted that with other areas losing council services, Aberystwyth residents will have to “deal with it”, while Cllr Rhodri Evans said that “losing a café is nothing compared to what is being lost in other parts of the county”.

But local councillor Paul James has hit out at council Cabinet members for refusing to recon­sider the decision to close the café or look at alter­native options to closure and accused them of ignoring his representations as a local councillor.

The petition started by centre user Andrew Curley called on the Cabinet to reconsider the café’s future, with Cllr James backing arguments that it could hit the number of visitors to the leisure centre, especially parents booking childrens parties.

Despite accepting the petition, Cllr Evans, the Cabinet member for lifestyle services, insisted the closure decision had been taken in 2013 with no councillor moving to call that decision in.

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