National Library of Wales: Ministers accused of 'lack of political will'

The importance of cultural institutions is not recognised by the Welsh Government, a senior source at the National Library of Wales has said.

Thirty jobs are at risk at the library in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, and services are expected to be cut significantly.

The source added: "It isn't a lack of money, it's a lack of political will."

The Welsh Government said it was "looking at every option" to protect jobs.

Speaking anonymously to the BBC's Politics Wales programme, the source added: "There's a lack of recognition of the importance of our cultural institutions and our culture."

They warned that without extra funding the library risked "falling behind" and becoming a "second-rate national library".

The library is funded by a combination of grant-in-aid allocated by the Welsh Government and income secured through its own activities.

But the amount of government revenue funding has barely changed in many years, resulting in a real-terms budget cut of 40%.

The library's baseline revenue grant-in-aid from the Welsh Government for the 2020-21 year was £9.89m compared with £9.57m in 2006-07 and £10.41m in 2009-10.

The library's director of corporate services previously said an uplift of £1.5m to the annual grant could be enough to avoid the planned cuts.

Up to now, the Welsh Government has maintained there is not any additional money available.

Earlier this week, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas announced a funding package worth £17.7m for spectator sports in Wales hit by the pandemic.

Andrew Green served as librarian and chief executive of the national library between 1998 and 2013.

He told the programme: "It was nearly always difficult to get government to listen.

"If you're an institution that's quite small and often seen on the periphery - even though it wasn't on the periphery - it's very, very difficult to get attention.

"There is a lack of appreciation in the highest circles, in government at least, of what the library's there for and what it does."

A recent government-commissioned review found the library's finances required "urgent attention" and it faced a "threat to its financial viability".

The same review found staffing numbers had already fallen from 290 in 2007-08 to 224 in 2018-19.

Rob Phillips, from the Prospect trade union, said if the cuts go ahead "we fear it will be a national library in name only".

"It simply won't be able to provide the services that a national library should do," he added.

A petition calling on the government to provide "fair funding" for the library has gathered over 12,000 signatures.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We know this is a very difficult period for the culture and heritage sector and talk of any job losses is a real concern.

"We are looking at every option available to us to protect jobs and livelihoods at Wales' national institutions.

"Despite years of austerity and lack of adequate funding for Wales we have, once again, protected the library's grant-in-aid from any reductions.

"We have also worked to increase the library's capital baseline in recent years, reflecting our commitment to maintaining the library's iconic building and the important collections held within."

Politics Wales is on BBC1 Wales at 10.00 GMT on Sunday 31st January and on the iPlayer.