Council to close 10 libraries despite legal action

Ten libraries in Caerphilly will close on 8 September

A series of library closures across Caerphilly will begin next week despite an ongoing legal challenge, the council has announced.

Ten libraries will shut down on 8 September following what the council called the High Court's "refusal to grant an interim injunction" against it.

Campaigners opposing the library cuts say smaller communities will be the worst-hit by the closures, which risk sending them "back to Victorian times".

The local authority's leader, Sean Morgan, said he was "pleased to be able to press ahead" with plans to create a smaller cluster of library sites focused around larger towns, which the council believes will provide a wider range of services.

Mr Morgan said the council would "robustly defend the judicial review challenge ahead" of the council, while it got its community hub model under way.

The ten libraries set to close are in Aberbargoed, Abercarn, Abertridwr, Bedwas, Deri, Llanbradach, Machen, Nelson, Oakdale and Pengam.

Meanwhile, the new hubs - planned for Bargoed, Blackwood, Caerphilly, Newbridge, Risca and Ystrad Mynach - will be developed based on the success of the renovated site in Rhymney, where visitors can access a range of council and other public services.

Mr Morgan argued the hub model "will create something stronger and more sustainable for the future of the service, built around the needs of the community".

"The new hubs will be inclusive, community-focused spaces that bring services closer to the people who need them most, making accessing support simpler and more efficient," he added.

The ten libraries set to close are in Aberbargoed, Abercarn, Abertridwr, Bedwas, Deri, Llanbradach, Machen, Nelson, Oakdale and Pengam

The plans to close libraries in smaller locations have angered some in the communities, amid fears they will be left behind.

Earlier this year, councillors heard passionate defences of local libraries, as well as concerns the cuts could have the biggest impact on the youngest and oldest community members, as well as people who were not able to travel to a hub.

The council hopes it can eventually secure community asset transfers for some sites, and hand over responsibilities for those library buildings to interested community groups.

Mariam Kamish, the secretary of Caerphilly Trades Union Council who has supported local campaigners, said expecting communities to run their own libraries was a "Victorian" notion.

A solicitor at Harding Evans, the legal firm handling the bid for a judicial review, added he was "impressed with the dogged determination shown by the campaign to date, fighting to save such important community assets".