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Delyth Jewell, who is the deputy leader of Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

This is a summer of sadness for those who work in and use our libraries in Caerphilly.

Across the county borough, libraries in Aberbargoed, Abercarn, Abertridwr, Bedwas, Deri, Llanbradach, Machen, Nelson, Oakdale and Pengam are set to close their doors at the end of August.

I am aware that, in many of those places, local efforts are being made to keep those libraries open, and these should be welcomed greatly. But the fact that the council set such a short deadline for their closure has made these efforts needlessly difficult. Why on earth weren’t local groups given more time to get funding and structures in place?

It shouldn’t be so difficult for Community Asset Transfers to take place, to allow communities to take over public spaces at risk of closure. That could grant further protection to community halls and miners’ halls as well as libraries, and is something the government should look at urgently. Because without these protections, we risk facing a future where boarded-up buildings take the place of once-cherished cathedrals of community.

As I’ve argued many times, it is a mean thing indeed to close a library. They are places of comfort and kindness, of warmth for the vulnerable, and wonder for children. Many children had contacted the council to tell them how much they’ll miss these libraries.  

They’ve drawn posters, written letters and sent messages. One of my constituents in Llanbradach put a photograph of a letter his young son had written on my Facebook page – the letter reads “Dear council, please keep the library. From Henry”. From the handwriting, it was plain to see just how young Henry is.

There is a responsibility on the Welsh Government here too: they shouldn’t be allowing local authorities to close spaces that so enrich the lives of so many people. And there is a responsibility on Westminster, too, which has underfunded Wales for so long that councils have been left cash-strapped. 

Yes, many people are to blame. But I’m afraid that there is no excusing the rapidity with which these library closures have been forced through. Why weren’t local groups allowed more time to save these treasure troves from closure? And why wasn’t the council more interested in saving them?