CCBC library proposals on pause

Caerphilly council’s plans to implement a new Library Service strategy from 1st September have been put on hold due to a last-minute legal challenge,

The council planned to close ten small library sites across the county borough from 31st August and focus instead on delivering seven enhanced community hubs in strategic town centre locations, as well as Community Outreach services within the affected communities.

However, a Judicial Review application has now been submitted to challenge the council’s decision.

Cllr Carol Andrews, Cabinet Member for Education said, “We have decided to pause our plans to create a resilient and sustainable Library Service, in light of this legal challenge. This does not change our intention to implement our new vision for the Library Service, but we must allow the appropriate legal process to progress.”

Leader of Council, Cllr Sean Morgan said, “It is disappointing, but not surprising that we have received this challenge. We will obviously robustly defend the Judicial Review and we are now seeking clarity from the courts about the next steps.”

“The real shame here is that the council has been in discussion with a number of community groups, who had come forward to take ownership of the library sites that were due to close – and their plans looked really exciting. We will continue to work with these groups to consider the impact of this decision and hope that they remain interested as the legal process moves forward.”

“This delay will also impact our savings targets, as the library review would have helped us achieve significant financial savings. We will obviously need to identity cuts in other services if our plans cannot proceed,” he added.

The council will continue to keep the community updated on this issue.