A PETITION signed opposing plans to cut £200,000 from a community farm in Torfaen has been handed in to the local authority.
Signed by nearly 4,000 people, the petition asks the council to reconsider its position on the “amazing” Greenmeadow Community Farm in Cwmbran.
Torfaen council currently spends £300,000 a year helping with the farm’s running costs but wants to slash its contributions by 66 per cent amid wider budget cuts worth £3.5 million.
Uncertainty has surrounded the farm’s long-term future since the proposed changes were revealed, as well as that of its staff and local groups affiliated with the farm.
Gavin Davies, chair of the Friends of Greenmeadow Community Farm group and creator of the petition, said he was forced into action upon hearing the council’s “devastating” proposals.
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In a statement read to the council on May 14, he said: “Greenmeadow Community Farm is an amazing attribute to our community and means a lot to me both professionally and personally.
“It offers experiences to many that cannot be gained elsewhere in Torfaen. It’s much more than a tourist attraction.
“The farm makes a difference. Cutting the funds will not only affect what the farm can offer back to the community, but it will impact on so many people and the community in which we live.”
Around 50 acres of surplus land near the farm could also be sold, with the money raised planned to be reinvested into facilities.
READ MORE: Council sets out how Greenmeadow Community Farm could be run with £200,000 funding cut
Farm bosses say the farm brings in around £500,000 a year in revenue but annual funding of £800,000 was needed to keep it going.
A final vote on the cutbacks had been expected in April but was pushed back by council leader Anthony Hunt to allow councillors to share their views in a meeting.
And councillors from across the political divide urged the council to draw up a clearer vision for the popular destination.
The leadership was also accused of allowing the farm the deteriorate, but the meeting was told that the proposals did not suggest a long-term threat to the farm’s future.
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