THE POSSIBILITY of closing seven of Conwy’s libraries has been met with disappointment by town and county councillors.
After a full cabinet meeting in mid-December, Conwy County Borough Council decided to hold a public consultation on their library service, with an earlier report recommending that consultation ought to take place on the option to keep open libraries at Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Llanrwst, Abergele, and building a fifth “strategic library” as a new public facility.
Libraries at Deganwy, Penrhyn Bay, Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan, Llandudno Junction, Kinmel Bay and Cerrigydrudion could all face closure under the recommended options.
A second option would keep Cerrigydrudion and Penmaenmawr open as satellite facilities.
The results of the consultation will be considered by a meeting of the Communities and Customers Overview committee with the Scrutiny committee, with community and equality impact assessments held prior to further consideration of the closures by Cabinet.
Cllr Jack Finch, who represents Penrhyn ward on Llandudno Town Council, said that closure to the Penrhyn Bay library would have a great impact on the village’s elderly population.
He said “A lot of us are pensioners, and if it was closed, old people would really suffer as a lot of us do a lot of reading - more than most people think!
“And I wouldn’t say the library was underused. I’ve never gone in and been the only person there. And I couldn’t praise the staff enough - they’re brilliant, and if you’re disabled like myself, they’ll bend over backwards to help you.”
Cllr Jason Weyman, who represents Deganwy on the council, regretted that public use of the library in his ward had lessened.
He said “Even though it was threatened three years ago, unfortunately the usage is the lowest out of the libraries we have.”
He added that while the proposed “strategic library” would have potential, the public needed further information to reassure them it could fill the gap left by the closures.
“The new strategic library would have to be very good. But we haven’t seen any plans for the new library, and my view is that it should be more than just a library.”