Tenby councillors have been asked to provide feedback to Pembrokeshire County Council on the recent Ironman Wales event held in the town and its surrounding area.

The local authority has been criticised in recent weeks over a lack of’ consultation with County Councillors and Community Councils after agreeing to stage next year’s event at the tail end of the school holidays on September 3 - with concerns amongst businesses in the community as to whether this will bring as much benefit to the local economy.

Discussing the matter at a meeting of Tenby Town Council this month, the town clerk told members that there had been very little feedback to the office, apart from a couple of things mentioned to him on the day of the sporting triathlon relating to local staff being unable to cross the closed roads to get to work.

Cllr Sue Lane said that she was surprised that there had been little feedback as she felt the feeling around town was that ‘enough is enough’ - as it is hard to run a business with disruption caused by the event, with one or two days being accepted, but the majority suffering the week before and the week after, she claimed.

“People were not allowed through and were kept waiting for an hour and a half. If you talk to businesses throughout the town, they feel enough is enough,” she remarked.

Cllr Charles Dale suggested that Ironman was viewed more favourably as there were none of the problems Long Course Weekend appeared to create.

“There were no barriers in the High Street, no loud music, no major disruption in that respect,” he said. “However, there is massive unrest due to the timing of the next Ironman.

“Why is there no discussion with us and other towns in Pembrokeshire about this? They sit in Haverfordwest and don’t seem to care. The traders feel that business rates are paying for this as county sponsor this event.

“This is not sustainable - businesses are uneasy and there is unrest. Many feel they have had enough,” continued Cllr Dale.

“My problem is not with Ironman, but with PCC, as Ironman is a multimillion-pound company, and we are being ridden roughshod over by PCC agreeing to all they ask without consulting with not just us, but all villages and communities impacted.”

Cllr Lane believed it used to be Saturday and Sunday before the event for set up, but this year the Ironman organisers started setting up on the Monday, with a juggernaut lorry ‘causing obstruction’ to traffic outside the Five Arches car park for three days.

“Two car parks will be lost for the week before and half a week after, it is a long time with two car parks unavailable in a week that the schools are still off and starts with a Bank Holiday.

“We need assurance that there will be no set up until Thursday,” she stated on next year’s event, adding that unfortunately Ironman and PCC think that they are doing ‘Tenby a favour’ as not all the residents and businesses felt the same.

She called for an ‘open meeting’ with Ironman organisers and PCC so that opinions could be voiced, as there was ‘huge unrest’ in the town.

Cllr Laurence Blackhall said he felt it had clearly been a big mistake, but felt there is the leverage to get commitments from Ironman, to make sure roads are properly accessible, wardens are properly trained and businesses are consulted and promoted.

“We need to be saying to Ironman, get families spending money in our shops. There is an opportunity to promote our business and Ironman need to show how they are going to support us,” he remarked.

“There is a balance between what it brings to the town and the disturbance caused, and the town needs to be consulted with more.”

The Mayor, Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall said that she felt that the Ironman organisers needed to meet all members of the communities, not just in Tenby, but elsewhere that the event affects.

“Understandably, there are concerns about the date being earlier than usual. I am not happy about these dates and feel that there needs to be more consultation with Town and Community Councils relating to Ironman in the future,” she stated.

“Following the announcement, I have had meetings with various interested parties and had discussions with various organisations and individuals who expressed their views.

“Subsequently, I have had a discussion with the Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire County Council. Following our discussion, he held talks with Ironman UK to see if there was a possibility to move the date backwards,” continued the Mayor.

“The outcome of those discussions regrettably confirmed that the options were limited for the following reasons. The tide is not suitable on September 10 and there is another Ironman event on September 17 in Weymouth.

“Any later than that, there would be issues regarding sunrise and there being sufficient light.

“The Chief Executive confirmed that the error regarding the date was Ironman’s. In response to a request for an assurance that this doesn’t happen again, he has confirmed that PCC and Ironman are now reviewing all future dates to ensure that they match the appropriate tide times and that they are placed in mid-September where possible and as a minimum the Sunday after the schools go back.

“PCC will be looking at how businesses can be supported and promoted to Ironman competitors and their families. Further discussions and meetings are going to be set up with businesses, Ironman and PCC.

“Obviously, we will need to be keep a close eye on what is happening and we will make sure that Councillors are kept up to date with information as we get it.

“There must be more consultation and we have to maximise benefits and minimise disruption,” she added.