ABERAMAN, ABERDARE — Explosive new evidence has come to light regarding the site of the former Aberaman Public Hall and Institute, suggesting that Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council may be failing to protect a historic community asset funded by the “pennies of the miners.”
Despite recent official claims by RCT Council that they have “no knowledge” and “no control” of the Cardiff Road site, researchers at AberdareOnline have recovered official Council Minutes from 1994 and 1995 that tell a very different story.
The “Smoking Gun” Minutes
The recovered documents from the former Cynon Valley Borough Council (CVBC) prove that:
- In December 1994: The Council formally resolved to instruct the District Valuer to negotiate the transfer of the land into Council ownership.
- In March 1995: The Council authorized a tender of £27,730 of public money to clear the site after it was destroyed by fire, explicitly stating they would act “in default” of the private owners.
- Since 1995: The Council has maintained the site as a public park, planted trees, and constructed a permanent public footpath—acts which, in UK law, typically grant a Council “Adverse Possession” (ownership) after 12 years.
A “Broken Trust”
The investigation has also uncovered a 2009 legal letter proving that the Aberaman Hall Charity Trustees handed over £500 to the Council specifically for the maintenance of a memorial stone, under the explicit belief that the site was in the Council’s “control.”
RCT Council now claims to have “no record” of these funds or the site’s history, citing a 7-year document destruction policy.
Statement from E. Thomas, Editor of AberdareOnline:
“The Council’s current stance is a denial of reality. You cannot mow the grass for 31 years, build a public footpath with taxpayers’ money, and then claim you ‘don’t know’ who the land belongs to when the community asks for a Hub. By refusing to claim the legal title they are entitled to, the Council is risking this land being sold off for private profit, betraying the miners who paid for it.”
Call to Action
The matter has now been escalated to the Monitoring Officer of RCT Council and a formal complaint is being prepared for the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
Residents are encouraged to ask: If the Council doesn’t own the land, why have they been spending our council tax maintaining it for three decades?
#SaveAberamanHall #MinersLegacy #AberdareOnline #RCTCouncil
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