DISCUSSIONS over whether or not to award a grant to a Cwmbran youth theatre group became "a dog's breakfast", a community councillor has said.

Cllr Stuart Ashley, Mount Pleasant Ward, used the term during a meeting of Cwmbran Community Council's Grants to Voluntary Organisations Committee.

The Congress Youth Theatre applied for £4,000 as a contribution towards the group's 2024 production costs - which include £2,300 for technical equipment and technicians, £1,835 for set designer and costs, and £1,500 for theatre hire.

During discussions, councillors wanted to clarify if a community council's grant could be used towards wages.

The community council provides an annual core funding grant to the Congress Theatre to help with its annual running costs.

Councillors wanted to know how this grant was used and to find out the link between the youth group and the theatre to make sure this new grant couldn't be seen as "double funding".

Cllr Ashley took part in the meeting through video and when he was able to speak he was "irritated" at the committee's discussion.

He told them they funded the theatre's core activities which meant they (the community council) did not provide any money to the Congress Youth Theatre's activities.

And when it came to grant's being used for paying wages, he said they had previously funded wages at the Cwmbran Big Event, for example, so he saw no difference here.

He pointed out that the theatre does not employ technicians or set designers, so the youth theatre had to buy in that expertise.

Cllr Ashley said they were making a "dog's breakfast" of the decision. Councillors asked the clerk to contact the theatre to clarify the questions they had raised.