Carmarthenshire Labour promises ‘play and sport revolution’ if they secure council administration

A play and sports revolution has been promised by Carmarthenshire Labour, as they pledge to deliver £45m investment in Carmarthenshire if elected on 5th May.

Carmarthenshire Labour have today announced their second key pledge ahead of the local elections in May, promising to deliver the largest investment in play facilities and leisure in over a decade.

At the top of their list will be the provision of two brand new leisure centres – one in Llanelli and the other in Ammanford. They also promise to install three new state of the art 3G pitches for the development of community sports and to set up an annual fund for the renovation of rundown parks and play areas. This fund will consider bids from town and community councils who are currently struggling to meet the escalating costs of maintaining parks and play areas within their areas. This money could be a lifeline for playing fields in rural communities.

The after-effects of Covid-19 and lockdown will be felt across Wales for some time to come. Carmarthenshire Labour state that the pandemic illustrated the importance of play facilities and leisure, providing tremendous physical and mental benefits to adults and children alike.

Rob James, the Leader of Carmarthenshire’s Labour Group said: “We are pleased to announce our pledge to deliver the best investment in play and sports facilities in over a decade.

“There’s so much scientific evidence out there to prove that giving people more access to sport and leisure facilities within their communities can have a dramatic impact on both an individual’s mental and physical wellbeing. Furthermore it’s been proven that people who get actively involved in sport do better in education and employment and show heightened self-esteem. It is thought that these benefits relate to the behaviours and skills gained and developed through sport, such as self-motivation, commitment and setting goals.

“As well as meeting the needs of the hundreds of sports organisations that already exist in Carmarthenshire, we are confident that improving leisure facilities within a community can encourage people to set up new sports groups and voluntary organisations which in turn will engage the wider community and provide better physical and mental health outcomes.”

Callum Higgins, Labour candidate for Ammanford, stated “Our parks in Ammanford are crying out for investment, particularly the unsafe play equipment that has been left to falter. This much needed cash injection would incentivise town councils such as Ammanford to invest again and bring our parks back into use.”