Momentum gathers to save town’s library

Moves to downgrade Welshpool Library and move it in with Powysland Museum have been blasted by residents who are rallying round to try and save the facility.

Following a tip off from a whistle blower, MyWelshpool ran the alarming story that the library, believed to be the second busiest in Powys, was to be downgraded and squeezed in with the Museum building next to the canal.

It shocked our readers who have united behind a bid to keep it open, saying that the move would impact hundreds of residents of all ages who regularly use the facility.

The whistleblower told us it was a ‘done deal’ that staff from the council’s Neuadd Maldwyn offices would be relocated to the library in April to allow that site to be sold. The library, in turn, would move in with Powysland Museum as a cost cutting measure.

Cllr Rachel Powell, Cabinet Member for Culture, confirmed that this was an option on the table and that Powys County Council would be “engaging service users later this autumn about our proposal”.

But it has enraged users who have launched a petition to ‘Leave OUR Library’ with its organiser Brian Timmis stressing that “we have less time than you think”. The petition can be found at a number of shops, cafes, businesses and at the Market Hall.