Committee scrutinises impact of cuts to culture

Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter

Staff at the National Library of Wales are going into work at 3am to protect collections from damage due to a leaking roof, the chief librarian warned.

Rhodri Llwyd Morgan told the Senedd’s culture committee that Storm Kathleen damaged the library’s roof and parts of the building have not had any work done in 90 years.

He welcomed July’s announcement of an extra £3.7m, including £1.9m for library repairs, but warned: “More rain did come in two nights ago because of the very heavy rain we had.

“Staff went in at 3am – they did what they could to deal with that.”

Dr Morgan said work will soon get under way and the roof will be safe by next summer.

‘No hiding’

The culture committee is holding an inquiry on the impact of cuts to culture in the Welsh Government’s 2024/25 budget.

Delyth Jewell, who chairs the committee, raised concerns about staff reductions at the library in Aberystwyth endangering the long-term safety of Wales’ heritage.

Dr Morgan said funding cuts led the library to concentrate on core services and start a voluntary redundancy scheme.

“Twenty-four members of staff are leaving us as a result of these cuts,” he said, warning of clear gaps in knowledge and expertise developing.

“That adds up to 10% of our workforce and there’s no hiding from the fact that does create concern of course in terms of the ability the institution has to do everything in the same way.

“That isn’t possible.”

‘Worried’

Dr Morgan, who joined the library in spring, added: “Some things might have to slow down and perhaps there will be fewer things happening following these cuts.”

He told the committee the library is also consulting on changes to its pension scheme, which he described as an important part of the financial picture.

Asked about morale, he said staff are worried about workload and the future of the library.

Asked about the potential impact of similar cuts, or a flat settlement, in next year’s budget, Dr Morgan warned of further job losses in either scenario.

Ashok Ahir, president of the library’s board of trustees, warned momentum could be lost on reaching out from the library in Aberystwyth through community and digital work.