Covid: £2.25m National Library Wales jobs rescue package announced

Thirty jobs are at risk at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion

A £2.25m rescue package to protect jobs at the National Library of Wales has been announced by the Welsh Government.

It follows calls to support the institution in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, where 30 jobs are at risk.

President Meri Huws welcomed the money, saying it would allow it to address the recommendations of a review.

An extra £3.95m will go to National Museum Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru. The money will be provided over the current and next financial years.

The Welsh Government has faced criticism for failing to increase its grant funding for the library, including an accusation from one senior source at the institution that ministers failed to "recognise the importance of our cultural institutions".

Dozens of jobs have already been lost in recent years and the latest proposed cuts had prompted warnings that it risked becoming a "second-rate national library".

A petition calling for "fair funding" for the library gathered over 14,000 signatures.

Bestselling author Philip Pullman also wrote that the institution was "in danger and it must be saved".

The Welsh Government had initially insisted there was no extra money available, but over the weekend it said it was "looking at every option available to us to protect jobs and livelihoods at Wales' national institutions".

Announcing the extra support, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism Lord Elis-Thomas said: "I am pleased to announce this funding which will safeguard and support two of our most important cultural institutions during this very challenging period.

"We have been in continuous contact with the library and with Amgueddfa Cymru for quite some time, and are taking steps to protect jobs and to ensure the sustainability of these bodies, who are responsible for caring for our national collections on behalf of the people of Wales."

Last week Lord Elis-Thomas announced a £17.7m support package for spectator sports hit by the pandemic.

The support for the library includes funds to act on the findings of a recent review of the institution, which concluded it faces "a threat to its financial viability".

'Vital role'

Ms Huws said: "I welcome the Welsh Government's decision to provide this additional funding to the library, which means that we will be able to address the main recommendations of the tailored review as well as put our exciting new strategic plan in action."

Roger Lewis, president of National Museum Wales said: "The impact of Covid-19 has posed unprecedented challenges for many organisations and businesses in Wales, and Amgueddfa Cymru is no exception.

"This additional money places us in a stronger position to face these challenges, ensuring Amgueddfa Cymru can actively work to support the healing and rebuilding of the communities of Wales.

FDA Cymru, which represents senior staff and civil servants at the National Library and National Museum Wales, described the news as a "fresh start for culture in Wales".

National officer Gareth Hills claimed there had been "major restructuring plans" at the museum too that could have put jobs at risk and seen cuts to services but that any job losses could now be avoided.

He also called on the Welsh Government to commit to increasing its annual grant-in-aid contributions for both the museum and library.

Plaid Cymru MS Siân Gwenllian said: "Saving the National Library should be a matter of priority, not yielding to public and political pressure.

"This eleventh hour funding for the National Library is long overdue and should have been announced back in the autumn.

Conservative culture spokesman David Melding said the library funding announcement was "better late than never".

"Welsh Conservatives believe Wales deserves a first-class National Library and the Welsh Government must now ensure it puts in place a sustainable funding settlement to secure the library's long-term future," he said.

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