A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am y camau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i gefnogi llyfrgelloedd a gynhelir gan awdurdodau lleol mewn ardaloedd gwledig?
The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service. It is the responsibility of individual authorities to determine how that requirement is met.
Welsh Government support for public libraries is primarily through the local government settlement. A 3.3% increase to the local authority settlement was provided in the final budget for 2024/25, with additional revenue funding to ensure no council had an increase in settlement of less than 2.3%.
The Welsh Government supports the development of local libraries across Wales, including those located in rural areas. In 2024/25, we awarded over £900,000 to fund a shared digital library platform for our local library services, which will improve equality of access to resources. In 2023/24 to 2024/25, over £500,000 has been allocated to public libraries located in rural authorities via the Cultural Transformation Capital Grant programme.
The Welsh Government supports the National Digital Library Service, providing access to electronic resources for all public libraries in Wales, with 40% of e-book and e-audiobook loans being generated from libraries in rural authorities. We invest in schemes delivered by public libraries including the Summer Reading Challenge to support children’s literacy over the summer holidays. We also provide funding for two library interlending loan schemes in South and North Wales, libraries in rural areas benefit from and participate in these schemes.