Pill Library closure Newport City Council residents say

Currently located on Commercial Road in Pillgwenlly, Newport, Pill Library has been based there since January 2009 and before then, the library sat between terraced houses on Temple Street (circa 1889).

Describing Pill Library as "one of the least used libraries in the city," Newport City Council said they took the decision not to renew the lease of the site on Commercial Road and to shut down the provisions there after consultations were held earlier this year.

Pill Library on Commercial Road (Image: Google Maps)

In a press release on the council's website, Newport City Council confirmed: "Pill library will close on Wednesday 28 August."

Councillor Pat Drewett, cabinet member for communities and poverty reduction, said: “We recognise that our libraries have to develop to meet the changing needs of our residents.

"While visits to some of our physical libraries are decreasing, use of digital services – such as Borrow Box – are extremely popular and demand is continuing to increase.

“However, we know people still like to visit libraries in the traditional way and we want to attract more users.

The former Pill library on Temple Street sits between a row of terraced houses. (Image: File)

"It is planned to have a greater emphasis on public engagement with more events and activities to promote reading as well as improve literacy.

“We want to make the best use of our buildings for the benefit of residents as well as ensuring they are financially sustainable following what have been extremely challenging times for the public sector.”

Part of Newport City Council's draft budget (released in January) discussed that demand for libraries has “reduced and changed significantly” in the past five years. This prompted the council to propose closing two of the city’s libraries, in Pill and St Julians.

The report said, "these buildings could be sold off."

Service needs and deprivation

The news of Pill Library closing with potential relocation of services, seems to have drawn divided opinions from locals.

Some took to social media to say that the news of the library closure makes sense. One person said that due to changing times and a change in service needs by locals, the money "could be better utilised elsewhere" with a central library providing the service.

Others said that the library should be used as a meeting point, with suggestions given to diversify the services that are available at the library in the area.

According to the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, Pillgwenlly ranked in the "top 5 per cent of most deprived in Wales" (Newport City Council). 

One Facebook user highlighted the need for these services in the area, and said: "It's always the most deprived areas that have their services cut, where the people who do use them - small in number as they may be - likely value those services the most."

It's always the most deprived areas that have their services cut, where the people who do use them - small in number as they may be - likely value those services the most, said a Facebook user on the closure of Pill Library. (Image: Canva)

The department for digital, culture, media & sport published a post on the impact of public library services on children and young people following a Young People's Library Survey.

The results of the survey indicated the importance of libraries in areas of high deprivation, with emphasis placed on ease of access to libraries so that children and young people can complete projects using resources that children from affluent areas have access to at home.

According to the Pillgwenlly ward 2019 population profile, Pill has the 7th largest populations of the Newport wards, with the fourth largest population of children under the age of 15.

Pillgwenlly has the seventh largest populations of the wards in Newport at 8,362 and above the Newport average, according to the Pill ward profile by Newport City Council. (Image: Newport City Council)

This highlights that there may be a need for the service in the area, particularly for children and young people.

Newport City Council has confirmed that work is ongoing to find a new location "for an outreach service which could include self-service outlets, or a volunteer-led option, which would attract more users" after confirming a new librarian has been chosen for the role.