CONCERNS  for the future of a “fantastic” Gwynedd recreation centre and its staff have been expressed after a £13m cost saving jobs restructure was announced

Natural Resources Wales announced that it had launched a consultation with trade unions over its staffing structures.

The proposals aim to make savings of £13m by 2025-26, in relation to NRW’s grant in aid funding, and changes put to the trade unions could mean removing 265 posts from its structure.

The NRW said it was a “challenging time” and aimed to “mitigate job losses as much as possible”.

MS Mabon ap Gwynfor met the news with “disappointment,” saying it was “extremely worrying” for staff at the Coed y Brenin centre near Dolgellau.

He said: ”I am very disappointed to learn today that Natural Resources Wales (NRW) are moving ahead at pace with alternative proposals for the future of their centre at Coed y Brenin in my constituency.

“When this matter was first brought to the attention of myself, Liz Saville Roberts MP, and local Councillor Delyth Lloyd Griffiths earlier this year, I was under the impression that nothing would happen for the next two years, and that sufficient time would be given to find alternative partners to deliver future provision at the site.

“The fact that NRW are now consulting with the unions on potential redundancies at Coed y Brenin is extremely worrying.

“This will cause a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty to catering and retail staff currently employed at the centre.

“Although the trails, car parks and toilets remain open at Coed y Brenin, the long-term future of this fantastic recreational resource remains in doubt.

“I will be meeting representatives from NRW at Coed y Brenin this Friday alongside local County Councillor Delyth Lloyd Griffiths and members of Caru Coed y Brenin who have been campaigning passionately to secure the future of the centre.

“I repeat my earlier call that NRW must be prepared to work openly and creatively with local communities to ensure these valued resources continue to serve local people and the Meirionnydd visitor economy alike.

“We really shouldn’t be in this position where the future of Coed y Brenin is now being discussed.

“Coed y Brenin is a fantastic brand which the Welsh Government would do well to harness, invest in and build upon. I will be seeking firm assurances from NRW regarding the consultation process.

“Any community group or party with interest in the site should be afforded sufficient time to develop a working business plan and this is something I will be raising as a priority with NRW.

Clare Pillman, chief executive of NRW, said: “Public funding is exceptionally tight across the whole of the UK.

“As such, we are having to look across all of our remit and critically review what we can and must continue to do, what we stop, and what we slow or do differently to fulfil our Corporate Plan ambitions. This is no different to any other public sector body at the moment.

“Yesterday,  we launched a consultation with staff on our proposals for changes in our staffing structure. The aim is to mitigate job losses as much as possible.

“Some of these changes, if implemented, will impact our partners, customers, and stakeholders. Following our consultation, the NRW Board will make a final decision on changes and at that point we will explain what the changes mean in the delivery of services.

“There will not be a public consultation on our proposals.  In 2022-23 we held a public consultation on our new Corporate Plan, Nature and People Thriving Together, which sets our strategic direction and priorities through to 2030.

“This consultation with the Trade Unions is about how we ensure a focus on those Corporate Plan priorities whilst adapting to live within our financial means.

“This is a challenging time for everyone working at NRW and we ask that the public support our people as they go through this consultation.”

The consultation will run for 45 days and final decisions on structural changes will be taken by the Board in late September.