14/3/25

More than two million visits were made to Cardiff hubs and libraries last year, a new strategy for the city’s ‘one-stop-shop’ facilities reveals.

Almost 16,000 new members joined the city’s library service, 1.9m book loans were issued, more than 78,000 new books were bought and 175,000 children and adults attended events in hubs and libraries in 2023/24. 

More than £20m in previously unclaimed benefits as well as more than £1m of one-off payments were identified by the Advice team supporting citizens in the city, some 6,607 people attended training sessions and more than 105,000 people received support from the Into Work Service in hubs and libraries.

Ninety-six per cent of customers surveyed said that the hub met their requirements and 97% of customers were satisfied with hub staff.

The scale and impact of services and support available in hubs and libraries is captured in this new strategy, which outlines how the community facilities will continue to help Cardiff residents over the next five years.

The Hubs and Libraries Strategy 2024 – 2029, which will be considered by Cabinet at its next meeting on Thursday March 20, sets out the vision for hubs and libraries to deliver high quality services and support to meet the specific needs of each community, with aims to:

• Inspire and promote the enjoyment of reading, learning, creativity and culture
•  Provide accurate and trusted sources of specialist advice and information
• Ensure support is available to those most impacted by the rising cost of living
• Enable access to technology and digital formats, supporting greater digital inclusion
• Support people to upskill, secure sustained and higher paid employment
• Provide children and young people with opportunities to achieve their full potential
• Helping everyone to live well
• Deliver diverse volunteer programmes that provide people with improved skills, experience and social connections
• Provide vibrant, welcoming, inclusive community and specialist spaces – a safe and social space for all
• Ensure that communities that need it benefit from Hub services and seek opportunities to extend provision.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lee Bridgeman, said: “Our hubs programme has been very successful over the past 10 years and more, as we’ve developed modern and vibrant buildings in the heart of communities to provide a wide range of council and partner services. There’s no doubt that these facilities have made services more accessible for residents and more convenient as well.

"More recently, we have partnered with health services in the development of the Wellbeing Hub at Maelfa, offering health services alongside normal hub and library services and we look forward to replicating that model with plans for a second wellbeing hub in Ely.

“Our hubs and libraries are very popular in the communities so it’s been important to listen to people’s views about what they want to see us deliver in their local facilities. We’re grateful to everyone who took part in the consultation about our services,  particularly our younger customers who had the chance to have their say. Their views have helped shape the key aims that underpin this new strategy on how we plan to continue to provide vital services to communities over the next few years.”

To read the full strategy report, visit Agenda for Cabinet on Thursday March 20, 2025l