'Save our services'

12.52.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 14th Feb 2006

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, Kirsty Williams, has expressed her disappointment at Powys County Council's decision to cut front-line services for children.

The Council has recently decided to cut funding for the Bookrunner mobile library service, which currently visits all primary schools in the county, and for the Gurnos youth centre, which provides youth service facilities for people in the Ystradgynlais area.

Kirsty viewing the Bookrunner Service in action

Ms Williams said: "These projects offer an extremely valuable service to our children, and deserve to be protected. In rural areas such as our own, there is not a wide variety of such services to choose from, these children cannot just shrug their shoulders and begin to visit another library or youth centre ten minutes down the road - for most it is this or nothing.

"At the Assembly last week, I spoke with the Minister with responsibility for these matters, and asked her to contact Powys County Council about it. She agreed that it was disappointing that these services are under threat, and promised to look into the matter. I hope that there the possibility of safeguarding these services, which are so appreciated by the local children."