Conwy council plans to close five or seven libraries

Up to seven of 12 libraries in Conwy county could close under plans to modernise the service.

A meeting of Conwy council on Tuesday afternoon heard the county's libraries were some of the worst in Wales.

The council said the libraries had a poor stock of books, did not have enough staff and were in buildings which needed maintenance.

Two possible options were agreed. Five or seven libraries would shut with the cash saved reinvested in the service.

If libraries do close, there would also be improvements to the mobile library service.

The council will now ask library users their views before a final decision is made.

One option would see seven libraries close at Cerrigydrudion, Deganwy, Kinmel Bay, Llandudno Junction, Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr and Penrhyn Bay.

The other would see five libraries shut at Deganwy, Llandudno Junction, Kinmel Bay, Llanfairfechan and Penrhyn Bay.

The council said the plans were not about saving money but about improving the service.

Goronwy Edwards, the council cabinet member responsible for libraries, said: "We aim to provide one of the best services in Conwy and currently we're not doing that and we're well aware of that.

"For a number of years we've been trying to address how we raise our standards and it's becoming more and more obvious that we cannot just by maintaining buildings improve our library service.

"We want to be known as one of the best library services and not a make-do service."

This is not the first time there have been plans to close libraries in Conwy county.

Similar proposals were put forward a few years ago and a campaign group was set up to fight the plans.

Llandudno town councillor for the Penrhyn ward, Myra Wigzell, is against the closures.

"Penrhyn Bay library is a special case because of where it's situated, it's next to the post office and together they form the hub of the community," she said.