COUNTY council members were not invited to a meeting organised by Gwent Police to discuss issues with anti-social behaviour plaguing a Monmouthshire town.

During September Gwent Police twice imposed dispersal orders on Caldicot town centre and the nearby Caldicot Castle area. The force said it put the orders in place in response to reports of anti-social behaviour.

The orders give police extra powers to move people on from a defined area if they are involved in anti-social behaviour or if it is believed their actions may lead to anti-social behaviour. Anyone ordered to leave an area and found to return could face arrest.

At a full meeting of Monmouthshire County Council the cabinet member responsible for “inclusive and active communities” said she was “disappointed” she hadn’t been invited to the Gwent Police-organised meeting to discuss the issues that had led to the imposition of the orders. 

Cllr Sara Burch was responding to a question from Cllr Lisa Dymock, who represents the neighbouring Portskewett ward, who had complained she had been “very disappointed” to be excluded from the meeting. 

Cllr Burch said: “I was also disappointed not to receive an invitation to that meeting. I understand the usual format for the ‘multi-agency problem solving’ meetings is they are led by the police and they should operate at officer level and they had invited various representatives from the town council. 

“I have asked the community safety team to arrange a feedback session for cabinet members and ward councillors from Severnside.” 

Cllr Dymock had asked how the county council intends improving facilities for young people in the Caldicot area over the coming 12 months. 

She said: “Recent months have sadly seen a rise in anti-social behaviour incidents in Caldicot town centre and the effect of this has been quite awful on residents and we’ve also seen it impact on my ward.” 

The Conservative councillor added: “I think young people have suffered enormously over the last few years and although the young people may have been making a nuisance of themselves in the Caldicot area I don’t believe any of those young people wish harm.  

“There may be a minority who want to cause trouble but I think the vast majority of young people in Monmouthshire are very good and mean well. We need to encourage young people and listen to what they want and how they can feel a part of the Caldicot and Severnside communities.” 

Cllr Burch outlined various activities the county’s youth service run in the area, including youth clubs and support services ranging from those for young people and their families struggling with mental health, sexuality and identity to support for those who aren’t in school and looking for work. 

The council’s sports development team also assists local sports clubs and the service was described as responsive to the needs and wants of young people. 

But Cllr Burch said she fears what squeezed household budgets will mean for youngsters and said that future funding for the council services is also uncertain. 

She said the majority of young people in Severnside are not among the 233 who had accessed council youth services in the past quarter and said: “I’m very concerned at the financial climate. 

“Children’s sports and activities will be cut from family budgets and that will have a knock on effect on many small businesses such as dance schools and martial arts instructors and drama clubs as well as the confidence and well-being of young people so I have asked officers to look at how the council supports volunteer run youth clubs and how schools can support young people out of hours.” 

She added the council has also put in a bid for UK Government ‘levelling up’ funding for the redevelopment of Caldicot Leisure Centre and the skate park and she said initiatives such as the 20 mile per hour speed limits are intended to make the area a safer place for children and young people. 

Cllr Dymock suggested if the bid for levelling up funding is rejected the council should consider approaching the Welsh Government. She said: “I know they provided a £5.3 million grant for Merthyr County Council to refurbish the leisure centre and skate park, which I think we would all greatly appreciate in the Caldicot area.”