Press Release – The Betrayal of Gower

Swansea Council has reneged on former promises to maintain the only library left on Gower. It seems that the decision to close Pennard Library was made without proper consultation.

Friends of Pennard Library (FoPL) was close to achieving the rebuild of Pennard Library, which was threatened with closure in November 2013. FoPL was working in partnership with the City and County of Swansea to create a community hub and generate an income from: a café; a large community exhibition space; and an IT area – which would have

Latest update ….. this is challenging, but we’re not giving up!

Shwmae pawb,

FoPL met, earlier this evening (16th October, 14), with Councillor Robert Francis-Davies, Councillor Mark Child and Local Authority officers regarding the new cabinet members’ decision to withdraw the library service from Pennard in April 2015. The CyMAL grant of £118k, which would have contributed to the rebuilding of the library, comes with the stipulation that the Local Authority must provide the current librarian service for five years. Despite knowing of this stipulation when the grant was applied for, the new cabinet – in the face of further cuts – does not feel able to support the service financially for a further five years.

At the meeting we made the following points:

Chasing the “Go-Ahead” from Swansea’s New Cabinet

Will We Get the Go Ahead!?!

The City and County of Swansea’s External Funding Panel was due to meet on 11th September – this was an important meeting for us, as we were hoping for the final go-ahead to rebuild Pennard Library…

The meeting never took place due to a cabinet reshuffle.

Since then, Friends of Pennard Library has been emailing, phoning and trying to speak with the new leader, Rob Stewart, and the new Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Robert Francis-Davies – in order to obtain this increasingly elusive “go-ahead”.

FoPL Latest News A4 Poster

Poster, providing an ‘Update’, for March 2014 about the Pennard Librarysituation, what the “Pennard Library Action Group” has undertaken and achieved to date (q.v. their Report at https://friendsofpennardlibrary.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/pennard-action-group-report_1-1_final.pdf), what has been stated/promised by the L.A.Councillor Nick Bradley, and also advising about a website created by the newly formed “Friends of Pennard Library “