Deputy Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council Lis Burnett has voiced her confusion about campaigns to "Save The Kymin" when in fact the building was never to be "sold off".

Voices from various opposition parties have criticised the Council's intention to find a new occupant after deeming the asset "surplus to requirements" in a September 2020 report.

Conservative Gary Allman, Penarth Town Councillor, told Nub News that "the Vale council has no right to deprive the people of Penarth of such a major public asset."

The Liberal Democrats for Cardiff South and Penarth, led by Alex Wilson, have made various false claims Vale Council's intention to "sell off" the building and grounds during their "Save the Kymin" campaign.

They even claimed responsibility for causing a supposed "U-turn" when the Vale Council recently announced the marketing process had commenced.

In reality, the initial report to the Cabinet of the Vale Council clearly states "that the building [will be] retained for the benefit of the local area and wider community" and that they are seeking a long-lease occupant.

The full Cabinet discussion can be viewed on YouTube (the Kymin report starts at 21:30).

"Both the report and the recording were available well before any campaigns to save the building were launched so I'm unsure how such misleading information has been spread," said Cllr Burnett.

"I've heard that the phones have been very busy with people expressing an interest in the property which is good news.

"This is a process we have used a number of times to bring vacant buildings back into productive use and our focus is on quality and outcomes rather than financial returns.

"if we do not find a suitable use, from an individual or organisation with a strong track record of delivery, the Council will not accept any of the bids received."

Alex Wilson, who is running for the Cardiff South and Penarth Senedd seat in May, recently released a YouTube video in which he erroneously claimed the "Vale of Glamorgan Council have performed a complete U-turn" as a result of his campaign.

Responding to accusations of political posturing and spreading misinformation, Mr Wilson told Nub News:

"Absolutely not! The campaign to Save The Kymin was motivated by talking to the public of Penarth. There was a perceived stand-off between the Vale and Penarth councils during which time the Kymin was standing empty with no preventative maintenance being carried out and the clock ticking.

"Vale council leader Neil Moore said in a cabinet meeting that 'People need to read more, because most people don't'. In my experience, the people of Penarth are well-informed on local issues and language like this has been seen as insulting and fanned the flames of mistrust," he continued.

"I believe the real story is the shambolic relationship between the Penarth and Vale of Glamorgan Councils that allowed vested interests to get in the way of working together for the benefit of the community.

"This has been going on for over 3 years now and there has been ample opportunity to make sure the public is travelling with them. If language the Vale uses like 'disposal' and 'surplus to requirements' is misunderstood then change the language instead of insulting us.

"Instead, the community is ignored and squabbles are amplified. It is disingenuous to try and make things right only after being challenged."