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Help and complaints

Libraries, leisure and culture

Libraries, leisure centres, museums, arts and events. This guide explains your rights, where to get urgent help and how to complain.

We cannot make a complaint for you

SocialCareScore cannot make complaints for you or take up individual cases. Rating a council is not the same as making a complaint. To have something put right, contact the organisation that runs the service.

Councils in Wales run the public library service. Many also run leisure centres, swimming pools, museums, arts venues and community learning. Some leisure and culture services are run for the council by a trust or a private company, but the council still decides what is provided.

Getting urgent help

If someone is in danger
Call 999 if a crime is happening now or someone is in immediate danger. Call 101 to report something that is not an emergency. Source
Telephone: 999 (24 hours a day)
More information

Your rights

A library service for everyone who wants to use it

Councils must provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons desiring to make use thereof’. In Wales, county and county borough councils are the library authorities. Source

Borrowing printed books is free

The law says no charge may be made for lending a book that you can read without a device. Councils may still charge for reserving an item, or for returning something late or damaged. Source

Standards your library service should meet

The Welsh Public Library Standards set out what every library service should offer. The current framework runs from 2025 to 2028 and has 13 core entitlements. They include being free to join, free book lending, and free use of the internet and wi-fi. Source

Welsh Ministers oversee the library service

Welsh Ministers have a duty to superintend and improve the public library service provided by councils in Wales. They can hold an inquiry if a council appears to have failed in its duty. Source

Reasonable adjustments for disabled people

Libraries, leisure centres and museums are services to the public. They must not discriminate against you, and they must make reasonable adjustments so that you can use them. Source

How to complain

  1. Complain to the service first

    Start with the library, leisure centre or venue, or with the trust or company that runs it. The Ombudsman expects you to have complained to the organisation before it will look at your case. Source

  2. Give the council time to reply

    Use every stage of the council’s complaints procedure. The Ombudsman thinks 12 weeks is a reasonable time for a final reply. Source

    Time limit: 12 weeks for a final reply

  3. Say which standard has not been met

    If your complaint is about the library service, it helps to name the core entitlement you think is missing, such as free book lending or free internet access. Source

If you are still unhappy

Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Looks at complaints about councils in Wales, including how they handled your complaint. Source
When: After you have complained to the council and given it time to reply.
Time limit: Normally within 12 months of knowing about the problem
Telephone: 0300 790 0203
Welsh Ministers
Oversee the public library service in Wales and can hold a local inquiry if a council appears to have failed its library duty. Source
When: If you believe the library service as a whole is no longer comprehensive and efficient.
Health and Safety Executive
You may be able to report a health and safety problem at a council-owned leisure centre or swimming pool. The Health and Safety Executive, not the council, is the enforcing authority for those. Source
When: If you think people are being put at risk.
Telephone: 0300 003 1647

Free, independent advice

Advicelink Cymru (Citizens Advice)
Free, confidential advice on your rights and how to complain. Source
Telephone: 0800 702 2020
Equality Advisory and Support Service
Free advice on discrimination and reasonable adjustments in England, Scotland and Wales. Source
Telephone: 0808 800 0082
Dewis Cymru
Find local and national organisations and services in Wales that can help with well-being. Source

Share your experience

You can rate your council’s libraries, leisure and culture anonymously. Ratings help other people and are published as monthly scores.

Rate your experience Find your council

Last reviewed: 15/09/2026