Local councillors demand clarity over library relocation costs
Councillors in Llandudno have called for urgent clarification after a confidential document circulated by council officers appears to show a different cost for running the town-centre library than the figure previously given to the public. The discrepancy has prompted warnings that the expected financial benefit from relocating library services to Venue Cymru may not be realised.
The decision to move services from the Mostyn Street building to Venue Cymru was made in July 2025. At that time, councillors and members of the public were told the annual cost of running the town-centre library was £126,000 and that a move would secure savings of at least £100,000 a year, a sum said to be important for protecting library services across Conwy County.
Gogarth ward councillor Harry Saville has now said a confidential paper supplied to local councillors last week quotes a different figure for the cost of operating the Mostyn Street library and indicates the promised annual saving of at least £100,000 cannot be delivered. He submitted an urgent question to this week’s Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny committee but says it was declined and instead referred to the Economy and Place committee on 23 September.
“When the decision to close Llandudno Library and move library services to Venue Cymru was made in July 2025, councillors and the public were told that the annual cost of the library being based in the town centre was £126,000 per year... It is also clear that the savings of at least £100,000 per year cannot be delivered.”
Conwy County Council has responded by saying that “all relevant financial information” provided previously “remains accurate”. The council has not provided further detail in the material supplied to councillors.
Implications for Llandudno services and local scrutiny
The row centres on transparency and the robustness of the financial case for relocating a long-standing town-centre service. For residents who use the Mostyn Street library, the debate is not just about pounds and pence: it is about access, convenience and the future of a civic space in the heart of Llandudno.
- Residents were told the town-centre library cost the council £126,000 a year to run.
- Council officers reportedly circulated a confidential document with a different running-cost figure.
- Cllr Harry Saville says the confidential document suggests the previously promised saving of at least £100,000 per year cannot be achieved.
Local councillors will now press for fuller disclosure at the Economy and Place committee later this month. The referral of an urgent financial question away from the scrutiny committee has itself caused concern among those who argue that full public scrutiny of the council’s financial assumptions is essential.
| Item | Figure (as previously stated) |
|---|---|
| Annual running cost of Mostyn Street library | £126,000 |
| Projected annual saving from move to Venue Cymru | At least £100,000 |
Those who use the library and local representatives will be watching the upcoming committee meeting closely. For some residents, the change to Venue Cymru — a well-known entertainment and conference venue — raises practical questions about opening hours, layout and whether the new location will be as welcoming and accessible as the long-standing Mostyn Street facility.
For now, the council’s assurance that previously published financial information remains accurate will do little to calm debate until the figures in the confidential document are explained in full. The matter will be aired at the Economy and Place committee on 23 September, where councillors expect to seek clarity on the true running costs and whether the relocation represents genuine savings for taxpayers and library users in Llandudno.
Local people told WE NEWS in recent months they value the library as a community hub. Any change to its location or to the services offered will be judged both on its financial merits and on whether it preserves the everyday role the library plays for families, older residents and students in the town.
