A RENT-FREE Cardigan library would still come with significant costs, town councillors have stated.

Plans to move the library to county council offices in Morgan Street have met with opposition, and an offer was made to retain the library in its current location at Canolfan Teifi, rent free for five years.

Town Councillors discussed the facility’s future at Tuesday’s meeting.

Cllr Catrin Miles said: “I know I am repeating myself, but there is no such thing as ‘free rent’.”

Cllr Miles stated that, even without rent, the library would still cost around £55,000 to run, including £19,762 business rates, a £19,444 service charge, £4,000 utilities, and £13,882 in maintenance.

She said: “So rent is a fraction of that. There is never any mention of these other costs, and there is also the capital cost of remodelling that floor.”

The meeting was told that the decision had been called in by local authority members, and there was little the town council could do to challenge it.

Cllr John Adams-Lewis said: “They want to keep the centre as retail and did not want to sell Morgan Street, so you can’t have everything. That’s the situation as it stands. He added: “We could have been left with a library van service.”

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