FISHGUARD and Goodwick Town Council will have to fork out up to £7,200 a year if it wants to keep Fishguard Library open on Fridays.

The facility in Town Hall is having its hours cut following a review by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cultural Services.

The proposed opening times for Fishguard Library were approved by Cabinet on January 5. They are: 10am to 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10am to 6pm on Thursdays, closed on Fridays, 10am-1pm on Saturdays from October to March and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays from April to September. These hours will come into force on April 1 2015, unless the Town Council is willing to provide financial support.

The County Council’s Head of Cultural Services, Mike Cavanagh, was invited to discuss options with town councillors during their meeting on January 13.

He said: “There’s no question that reducing hours is about making savings.

“We’re discussing with town, community and city councils on whether they would consider making an annual payment to the County Council to stop the library being closed on particular days.

“Some councils have decided to consider it, but they’re all in different financial positions.”

He added that Cabinet has given him until the end of January to determine if there was interest.

Councillor Belinda Davies asked how much it would cost the Town Council to keep it open on Fridays all year round.

Mr Cavanagh said: “We wouldn’t want a penny more than what it costs us, we would only be looking to cover our staffing costs.”

The figure given was somewhere between £6,500-£7,200 a year.

Access to The Last Invasion Tapestry was also discussed. It occupies a 30 metre gallery next to the library and is a huge draw for holiday makers.

Mr Cavanagh said: “We’re a victim of the design of the building in that people have to go through the library to get to the tapestry.

“We have talked about maintaining some access to the tapestry on Fridays in the summer, depending on the willingness of volunteers, but we will have to put up a better barrier so the library is clearly closed off.”

Cllr Miles Pepper said members of the Last Invasion Trust will be essential to the discussions.