Concerns regarding the poor condition of Tenby’s Market Hall have been raised with local politicians and councillors.

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales, recently joined County Councillor for Tenby’s North Ward Michael Williams and Tenby Town Councillor Paul Rapi on a visit to the seaside town’s historic indoor market located on High Street.

There they met with stallholders in the Market Hall to talk about the current challenges facing retailers in Tenby.

Front and centre were traders’ concerns about their dissatisfactory dealings with Pembrokeshire County Council, which has responsibility for maintaining the Market Hall and for letting its units for retail and storage.

These concerns included a lack of effective communication from the County Council, delays in processing and issuing tenancy agreements, empty units going unfilled, and the Market Hall’s state of disrepair.

There were particular concerns regarding leaks in the roof, which leave the hall liable to flooding.

Following the visit, Cllr Williams, Plaid Cymru County Councillor for Tenby North, remarked: “I am deeply concerned that, contrary to assurances I have received from Council officers, a number of units in Tenby’s Market Hall are empty or going unused.

“I am aware of several business owners who have applied to make effective use of the space, but who have received no answer to their enquiries from the Council.

“Communication between the Council and the market’s existing traders also appears almost non-existent, and this is having a real impact on traders’ ability to run their businesses.

“The parlous state of the Market Hall is little short of disgraceful. Urgent action is required to secure the Market Hall’s future, and I will continue to pursue this at Council.”

Cefin Campbell MS, stated: “I was delighted to meet with traders at Tenby’s indoor market and to see the range of products and services on offer there, from butchery to photography.

“The historic Market Hall, right in the heart of the town, is a real asset for Tenby, and, at a time of immense challenge for small and medium sized enterprises, I was encouraged by the number of successful local businesses I saw there.

“I am keen to see the market really live up to its full potential, and I would therefore call on Pembrokeshire County Council to work improve communications with both existing and potential stall-holders, and to arrange for much-needed maintenance and repair-work.

“I will be writing to the Chief Executive of the Council to express my concerns about the state of the Market Hall, and to ask that the work required been undertaken as a matter of urgency,” he added.