Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has expressed deep disappointment that despite strong objections from the public and politicians, Denbighshire County Council will be reducing library opening times from next month.
From 1st June, the opening hours of Denbighshire’s Libraries and One Stop Shops will be changing, with all libraries in the county set to operate reduced opening hours.
When the plans were first mooted, Darren made his objections known and called on the Council to explore alternative measures.
He also sent a further letter to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Jason McLellan, urging him and his colleagues to listen to the public outcry and maintain current opening hours.
He is therefore disappointed that this did not happen.
He said:
“It is extremely disappointing and concerning that despite the significant opposition to the proposals to reduce library opening times throughout the county, Denbighshire’s Cabinet took the decision to go ahead with them anyway.
“The total disregard for what the people of Denbighshire want is quite frankly appalling.
“What is the point of carrying out costly consultations if you ae not prepared to listen and act on the feedback you receive?
“We are seeing this more and more in Denbighshire with the Cabinet thinking they know best.
“While I fully understand the financial pressures that the local authority is facing, I do not believe that reducing the operating hours of libraries is a prudent decision, and I certainly don’t think ignoring the views of residents is the way to go!
“I have been knocking on doors in recent weeks, and people are angry. They are paying more each month in council tax whilst seeing services continually slashed.
“We know that the Welsh Government’s local government funding formula is grossly unfair and inadequate, particularly to North Wales councils and to authorities in rural parts of Wales as well.
“It is high time the Labour Welsh Government acted on our calls for an independent review of the funding formula to make sure that every part of Wales gets its fair share of investment, enabling our local authorities to protect vital services, such as libraries.”
