The family history library – currently located at Ty’r Ardd (registry office) at Sunnyside – is set to move in two-stages from Bridgend to Maesteg (pdf).
Ty’r Ardd itself is set to close, with the registry office moving to the Civic Offices. Awen Cultural Trust – who run library and cultural services in Bridgend – say around 6,000 people visit the library at Ty’r Ardd annually.
As the library seemingly needs to move as soon as possible, Awen has proposed it moves temporarily to Y Llynfi Library at Maesteg Sports Centre. In the medium-term, it will be moved to the proposed new library at the redeveloped Maesteg Town Hall – which recently received a funding boost.
While Bridgend library services perform well by national benchmarks, BCBC officers say that by 2021 they want to find an additional £150,000 in savings to the management fee BCBC pays Awen. Co-location of library facilities in leisure centres is said to have worked, but proposals for co-location in Porthcawl wouldn’t deliver savings. This raises the potential for county-wide cuts to library opening hours.
Mobile library users could be transferred to Booklink
Mobile library services are also under review.
At the moment, the mobile library runs along 10 routes every three weeks, issuing 40,000 books a year. The current larger mobile library is said to be experiencing serious problems and would cost £120,000 to replace.
Awen proposes that instead of having one large mobile library vehicle, they redirect mobile library users to the Booklink service (which delivers door-to-door for housebound residents), operating on a standardised 5-week timetable, with the prospect of additional visits to care homes, schools and childcare facilities.
