ABERYSTWYTH councillors will decide whether the town’s parks can reopen after the bank holiday weekend.

The town council has come under pressure for keeping all of the parks in the Aberystwyth and Penparcau area closed, which Cllr Alex Mangold labelled as “unfair” on children who have “been deprived of so much” through lockdown.

The issue was due to be discussed during the next monthly council meeting on Monday, 28 September.

However, the council has now announced that an extraordinary meeting will be held on Tuesday, 1 September to discuss the reopening.

Aberystwyth Mayor Charlie Kingsbury said: “Many people will be looking at the continued closure of playgrounds in Aberystwyth with confusion and frustration. I know councillors have been contacted by residents who desperately want to see playgrounds open.

“It is for this reason that I requested an emergency meeting for the council to discuss the possibility of carefully opening some playgrounds to the public again.

“With children returning shortly to school, many residents will be confused as to why outdoor areas which pose a far smaller risk to health and transmission are not also following the trend to reopen.

“Nobody wants to see a spike, but with the end of the summer season meaning fewer visitors in Aberystwyth and with the careful introduction of measures to further reduce risk, I believe the council could now act on reopening.

“I hope other councillors will agree.

“Unfortunately, there may be some maintenance and repair work that will need doing on some parks.

"Aberystwyth Council wanted to do this work months ago but until recently was outright refused access.

“I hope at the very least that councillors will agree to setting out a clear timeline for reopening parks safely in line with the views of residents we are elected to represent."