MORE than 40 members of the community gathered on Monday, April 1 to brainstorm ideas about how Knighton Community Library can be made safe from any future Powys County Council budget cuts.
The meeting was attended by Angelique Williams who is a Powys County Councillor and local resident.
Although the proposed cuts to funding of 10 rural libraries in Powys has been deferred for this year, it is more than likely that the 2020 budget proposals will include similar, if not greater, cuts to funding.
Annie England, the chair of the Knighton Library Friends group, said “Our library does so much more than simply lend books and it is essential that we retain paid library staff who have the skills to help local people who need access to community services such as looking for a job, form filling, IT training, welfare applications.
“We would like the library to open for more hours, not fewer so that people who work all day can visit in the evenings.
“The library is a meeting place for young people and for the elderly. It contributes to the wellbeing of the whole community and cannot simply be run by volunteers.”
The work now starts to analyse all the excellent ideas and suggestions made during the evening and a further meeting will be held by the Friends to report on progress, particularly as regards sustainable funding.
Contact Knighton Library Friends through Facebook to stay updated and join the group or email: [email protected].