Who is in residence at Dare Valley Country Park Hotel? Why will Rhondda Cynon Taf Council not answer the question
Back in September AberdareOnline asked Rhondda Cynon Taf Council the question. How many eastern Europeans are you housing in Aberdare Country Park Hotel? The council had 20 working days to respond with an answer, they did not therefore when this happens you request an internal review and wait a further 20 days for a response.
“Today 17 November the council responded, the answer is below.
We refer to your Freedom of Information Request in respect of Dare Valley Country Park Hotel.
RCT Council is unable to provide the information that you have requested as we consider the information to be confidential. Therefore we are applying the exemption set out under Section 41 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000.
In accordance with Section 17 of the FOI Act, we are applying a Refusal Notice to your request.
If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can request a review of the Council’s response. If you wish to exercise this right, you must do so within 40 working days of the date of this response. Please set out in writing your grounds and send your appeal to: julie.a.llewellyn@rctcbc.gov.uk.
Yours sincerely
Llywodraethu Corfforaethol/Corporate Governance
ar ran Cyfarwyddwr y Gwasanaethau Cyfreithiol/for Director of Legal Services”
Back in 2019 RCT Council spent Council £1.4m on Dare Valley Country Park part of the funding was for the refurbishment of the Dare Valley Hotel.
The independently-run hotel will initially benefit from a scheme of significant refurbishments – first through improved bathrooms (new toilets, basins, shower fittings and hot water system repairs), followed by bedroom improvements which will be redecorated in line with the new Dare Valley brand.
Why do RCT Council not want the public to know what they are doing with the hotel? It our tax that they are using what was for encouraging tourism in the area, but when you look at the RCT Council website for hotels and where to stay, Dare Valley Country Park hotel is not listed, but there are people staying in the hotel, but you cannot book a room.
Companies House list the previous occupiers of Dare Valley Country Park Hotel, as 1ST Accommodation Ltd but that company was dissolved this year on 19 July 2022 Company number 09425508.
So who is running the Councils hotel now? RCT Council placed the Dare Valley Country Park Hotel on the Sell 2 Wales Website on 15 February 2022 well before the previous company went into liquidation.
The hotel is described below.
The Dare Valley Country Park is set in 500 acres of woodlands, pasture and moorland mountainside.
The Hotel is located in the Country Park, and has 15 bedrooms, accommodating groups of up to four people in each. The accommodation has recently benefitted from a full refurbishment and is in excellent condition. The bedrooms have been redecorated with new fixtures, fittings and bedroom furniture. All rooms are en-suite.
The purpose built accommodation, is located beside the Park Visitor Centre and Café. The accommodation can sleep up to 60 people, there is a residents’ lounge and a large resident’s dining room. There are 2 ground floor disabled access rooms.
With the exception of the disabled access rooms’, all rooms are located on the first floor, accessible via stairs or lift and feature a balcony overlooking the main courtyard.
The guest dining room and adjoining kitchen are accessed through the courtyard and are both furnished to a very good condition. The dining room is for the exclusive use of residents and seats up to 30 guests in one sitting.
Included within the premises is the night porter accommodation which consists of living space, a kitchen area, one double bedroom and a newly refurbished shower room.
There is a big problem with accommodation already in RCT without adding to the problem.
https://rctcbc.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s36036/Atodiad%204.pdf?LLL=1
How many other hotels within RCT have been taken over? We don’t know who is in the Dare Valley Country Park hotel. The councillors won’t inform us, after all, it is the Labour Councilors who are supposed to be running the council, or is it?
Sell2Wales https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=FEB388737&catID=
Companies House https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/09425508
https://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/Tourism/Wheretostay/Camping/DareValleyCountryParkAberdare.aspx
