P-06-1315 Stop outsourcing at the Plas Menai National Outdoor Centre for Wales

This petition was submitted by Darren Williams, having collected a total of 1,253 signatures.

Text of Petition:                    

Sport Wales has invited tenders for an external organisation to take over the running of its National Outdoor Activities Centre at Plas Menai, near Caernarfon, including the employment of its staff, and we are concerned about what this might mean for employees and the activities they provide. Previous experience suggests that outsourcing does not benefit staff, quality of service or the taxpayer.

We call on the Welsh Government to stop this process and keep Plas Menai in the public sector.

Additional Information:

Plas Menai offers a range of courses, activity days and personal tuition in outdoor pursuits like sailing, windsurfing and mountain biking. For 40 years, it has made a major contribution to the outdoor activities sector in Wales, providing essential skills to individuals and groups. The reach of those who have worked in, and trained at, the Centre stretches across Europe and the world, which is testament to the Centre’s emphasis on providing the highest quality instruction and learning.

Plas Menai’s dedicated and highly skilled staff would be happy for Sport Wales to seek ways of improving the Centre and even to make use of external expertise in doing so. But they do not want this unique facility – and their own jobs – to be handed over to a new provider, which could put profit ahead of any commitment to public service and fair employment practices. They are also concerned that a change of provider might compromise the Centre’s ability to provide services through the medium of Welsh.

Status

This petition was considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 06/02/2023.

The Committee considered the petition and noted the petitioner states in his correspondence that the outsourcing of Plas Menai to Legacy Leisure took effect from 1 February and he understands the Committee are unable to do any more work on the issue.

In light of this Members agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner for raising awareness of the issue.

Full details of the consideration of this petition by the Committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.

It was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 06/02/2023.

Senedd Constituency and Region

• Cardiff West
• South Wales Central

Further information

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