CEREDIGION County Council spent just £125,000 on the maintenance and repair of Aberystwyth Promenade in the past six financial years, the Cambrian News can reveal.

Despite the January 2014 storms, which devastated the Victorian promenade and left the council facing a reported bill of £1.5m, the council’s maintenance and repair spend actually dropped in consecutive financial years — by 39 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively — between 2013 and 2015, a Freedom of Information request has shown.

The Welsh Government stepped in and provided funding totalling almost £1.4m, according to the council, but even with the council’s 2013/14 (£19,798.95) and 2014/15 (£12,457.40) spends, this still leaves a shortfall of around £67,500.

The council told the Cambrian News it funded a county-wide shortfall of around £700,000 following the January and March 2014 storms, and claimed the additional costs did not show up in its FOI response because the figures do not include “coast protection” works.

The Welsh Government funding was provided in the form of grants, including £542,00 from the flood budget; £493,000 from the tourism infrastructure fund; and £248,000 from regeneration area funding.

Last year’s (2016/17) spend of almost £30,000 represents a 79 per cent increase on the previous financial year’s spend of £16,777. The biggest spend in the whole period between 2011 and 2017 came in 2012/13, with £32,260 spent on repair and maintenance of the promenade.

The total spend on maintenance and repair for Aberystwyth promenade is as follows: 2011/12 – £14,287.30; 2012/13 – £32,260.62; 2013/14 – £19,798.95; 2014/15 – £12,457.40; 2015/16 – £16,776.98; 2016/17 – £29,974.88.

The council has made significant repairs to the promenade on several occasions since the January 2014 storms, including Storm Imogen in February 2016, and Storm Brian in November 2017.

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