UNION representatives from across the museums and galleries of Wales have warned the Senedd that cuts to budgets will decimate cultural services.

Public and Commercial Services (PCS) representatives at the National Library of Wales and the Museum Wales have written to all Senedd members about the impact of Welsh government budget cuts.

The union laid the funding crisis firmly at the door of the Conservative government’s austerity budgets, but warned the proposed cut of 10 per cent by Cardiff Bay will also harm services.

The union claims that the Welsh government cut of 10.5 per cent equates to about £3 million for the museum and £1.3m for the library.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Following a decade of underfunding, the culture sector in Wales has been hit particularly hard by cuts in the draft budget.

“We’ve made it clear that we want to engage with the museum and the library to help mitigate the impact of these cuts but we will resist any compulsory job losses.”

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We have been clear going into our draft budget preparations that, because our budget is now worth £1.3 billion less in real terms, incredibly difficult decisions have had to be taken.”

The National Library provides a range of services for Wales, doubling as the national archives matching the National Archives in Kew and the British Film Institute. 

The museum and library also share the responsibility for collecting and storing paintings and artworks, functions carried out by the National Gallery, Tate and similar institutions in England.