THE NEWLY elected Chair of Dinas Powys Community Council has praised the local library service and the work of its staff.

Dinas Powys Councillor Chris Franks, in one of his first official duties in the role of Chair, recently visited Dinas Powys Library

He wished to express the community council’s appreciation of the service provided by the library and its professional staff, as the Vale Council seeks to cut £500,000 from the library budget across the county.

He met staff and discussed the many services offered by the library.

"With all the uncertainly associated with the library I felt that it was important to demonstrate the value we place on the expertise of the staff," he said.

"They are facing a very unsettled time with the threat to slash staff numbers and reduce services.

"People have expressed the view that should the Vale Council’s plans go ahead the quality of service will decline. It has been suggested that over time there may even be a risk that the viability of the library will be threatened."

He added: "I was very pleased to be welcomed by staff who explained the range of services that are available at the library, from books and DVDs to computer facilities to newspapers. There are other options that staff have made regarding income generation which the Vale Council really should take seriously.

"The community council hopes that ways can be found to ensure that libraries continue to be staffed by professionals.”