THE future of a day centre that campaigners fought to save from permanent closure is unlikely to be decided until at least July. 

The Tudor Centre, in Abergavenny, has remained closed since the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020 but a community group has been preparing a business case so it could take on take on the building from Monmouthshire County Council. 

At its cabinet meeting, on May 15, Councillor Ian Chandler, who has responsibility for social care, said the business plan has been submitted by the community group, known as The Gathering, and council officers will be meeting with its management committee to offer feedback. 

Cllr Chandler said: “We will be meeting the Gathering’s management committee to provide feedback on this intial draft and to discuss around how it can be strengthened because further work is needed to substantiate the proposal so that it is robust and sustainable and the Gathering is now actively working to address those points. 

“For the time being we are not yet in a position to make any final decision on their proposal. It is anticipated a revised business case will be issued by the Gathering to Monmouthshire County Council for consideration by the end of June following which a formal recommendation will be brought to cabinet for the future of the property.” 

The Gathering was formed by campaigners who wanted to see the Tudor Centre reopened as a centre for the council’s My Day, My Life service for adults with learning disabilities, and who had fought the Labour cabinet’s November 2022 decision the centre should permanently close. 

That decision was put on hold and the council accepted the recommendation of independent report, it had already commissioned, that the service should have a base for users to meet and plan activities. However in December last year the council confirmed the Melville Centre would be the Abergavenny base and it was also agreed to establish a new base in Monmouth. 

Campaigners, who had urged the council reopen the Tudor Centre to once more serve a wider range of vulnerable adults, formed the Gathering to take on the building from the council as a community centre in line with its aims. It has since last year been meeting at the Well Being Centre, in Abergavenny. 

Green Party member Cllr Chandler said the council continues to support the Gathering and the service it provides from the council owned former tourist information centre. 

Council Labour leader Mary Ann Brocklesby said: “It’s good to see we are still in discussions and supporting the Gathering to bring a business case to cabinet.” 

Last week one of the founders of The Gathering and a seasoned campaigner for the Tudor Street Day Centre Owen Lewis to the Chronicle he was hoping to stand as an independent candidate in the forthcoming General Election and was still hopeful the day centre could be saved.

“If the campaign has taught me anything, it’s reminded me of the importance of people power and how it’s vital for everyone to use their voice to fight for what’s right.”

He said, “I've dealt with politicians on all sides of the political spectrum, but I've been quite disillusioned with both the Conservative and Labour parties, and I've come to feel that the party system is just not fit for purpose.

"Representatives, even if they're well-intentioned, are more loyal to their party machinery than they are to local people. I wanted to give people in Monmouthshire an opportunity to get away from all the party politics - to vote for an independent candidate who has their best interests at heart.”