Former library to become mosque after three councillors force review

Twm Owen – Local democracy reporter

A decision paving the way for a former library to become a mosque has been confirmed after having to be taken for a second time.

Monmouthshire County Council’s cabinet agreed to grant a 30-year lease for the empty Abergavenny Library to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association in May but three backbench councillors forced a review using the council’s call in process.

Just two days before a scrutiny committee considered that request the grade II listed building, last used as a pupil referral unit after the library closed and transferred to the to the town hall in 2015, was targeted by Islamophobic vandalism.

Correct decision 

The decision had to come back to the Labour-led cabinet’s Wednesday, June 25 meeting where leader Mary Ann Brocklesby reminded those present the call in “asked us to review the decision made and does not have the authority to overturn the decision.”

Councillor Ben Callard, who is responsible for resources including leases, addressed the seven points made by the scrutiny committee which sent the decision back to the cabinet, on the chair’s casting vote, but said he wasn’t convinced the tender process should be run again as the committee wanted.

The Llanfoist and Govilon member said: “I’ve reflected on them but at the moment I’m not minded to change the original decision. I think it was the correct one and Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association will be good tenants for this property.”

‘Competitive’

Of those reasons Cllr Callard said the council hadn’t set a target rent for the building, and doing so could have “depressed” the price, and defended the four week timeframe for the tender process.

He said a number of “competitive” bids were received and he didn’t agree the council should have got an independent survey of the building as the authority has the capacity to do so itself.

He also dismissed the suggestion, he said made by a Conservative councillor, the library built and funded by Scottish-American philanthropists Andrew Carnegie should be sold.

He said: “I don’t think it should be disposed of, it should remain in the council’s ownership”.

Conservative opposition leader Cllr Richard John claimed taxpayers would be “subsidising” the mosque at the agreed rent of £500 a month, or £6,000 a year.

He said a previous council budget paper suggested it could produce a rental of between £20-25,000 a year.

‘Ambition’

Cllr Callard said: “The tax payers of Monmouthshire will not be subsidising it. It was put out for a competitive tender and it returned the figures proposed by the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association, which was the highest submission.”

He added the lease is on a “full repair” basis which will pass all maintenance responsibilities to the tenants and he described the building as having “significant liabilities”.

The lease was also described as a commercial deal and Cllr Callard said the Muslim association isn’t benefiting from a rental agreement, which is a subsidy, that other community groups leasing council buildings enjoy.

Cllr Callard also acknowledged it was an “ambition” of the cabinet the local Muslim community should have a mosque but denied, under questioning from Cllr John, there was any “done deal”.

He also said independent councillor Simon Howarth was wrong to say the council had “put” the mosque in the library as it offered the building through a tender process open to all.

Unanimous

Concerns from residents over car parking in the area were also acknowledged at the meeting and Cllr Callard said the association has committed to using the three nearby public car parks.

All seven members of the cabinet confirmed their support for the original decision when asked by Cllr Brocklesby who said the unanimous decision means the lease will be offered to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association.

During the meeting Cllr Callard also acknowledged questioning over how the council should subject potential leases to scrutiny before decisions are made which he said requires further thought.