There are no current plans to close libraries in Powys, a council chief has said.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Economy, Residents and Communities scrutiny committee on Thursday, November 6, councillors discussed a report which looked at the impact of delivered budget savings that had to be found in the 2024/2025 year by several departments at the council, including “Community Wellbeing.”

Community Wellbeing looks after libraries, leisure and cultural services in the county, and they delivered just under £1.4 million in savings last year from the overall council expectation of £12.9 million.

Of this sum, £1.1 million was set aside to be given to Freedom Leisure to deal with the rising utility costs of running leisure centres and heating swimming pools – but this money was not required by Freedom Leisure and became a saving.

The report said that the service had also looked at reducing library provision.

But this had been discounted as the council was “not at a stage” to “identify” how this could be done – the document showed that £34,500 had been found from elsewhere to cover this saving proposal.

Cllr Corinna Kenyon-Wade (Liberal Democrat – Knighton and Beguildy) said: “I want to ask you about your vision for the future library service.

“I believe that a grant of around £35,000 allowed the provision to carry on as before.

“What do you envisage for future years?”

Senior Manager of Community and Wellbeing, Jenny Ashton said: “The library service very successfully had a number of grants that helped support different aspects of delivering this service.

“We are delivering within budget at the moment and are working with other services and officers as part of the ‘Sustainable Powys’ programme.”

Sustainable Powys is the umbrella term used by the council to describe potential cost-cutting projects which is supposed to see council services reduced and centred on the five towns of Brecon, Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, Welshpool and Ystradgynlais.

Ms Ashton explained that her department had been working with the council’s Customer Services and Digital Access teams to see how libraries can: “help support people to access services and receive information.”

Ms Ashton said: “In terms of the vision, the library service will continue as it is.

“Over time we will look at how those facilities and services can be best delivered to meet the needs of Powys people.”

Cllr Kenyon-Wade asked: “Are you looking to co-locate the libraries and put them in other buildings?”

Ms Ashton said that there were “always opportunities“ for services to use the same buildings.

Ms Ashton said: “With pressure on budgets we have to look at those options from time to time, but currently I don’t have any plans to share.”

The report added that just over £45,000 worth of savings that failed to materialise during 2024/2025 have been rolled over into this year’s budget.

There are 18 libraries in Powys – for more details visit the council’s website at: https://en.powys.gov.uk/libraries