THE scale of almost a decade of savage austerity cuts to local communities in Wales has been exposed in a study published by public service union Unison today.

Youth centres and libraries are among the victims of widespread closures forced on Welsh councils, which have been stripped of £1.6 billion in funding.

The cuts have cost 28,100 local-authority jobs and brought council services to crisis point, according to Unison’s study, based Freedom of Information requests to Wales’s 22 local authorities, of which 20 responded.

The study shows that 193 youth centres have closed since 2010, and one third (32 per cent) of libraries have either closed, been privatised or are now run by volunteers.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The scale of the cuts is both breathtaking and disturbing.

“Each cut has a major impact on a community, whether it’s a pensioner feeling isolated in their home because they can’t get a bus, or people being unable to borrow books or use the internet in local libraries.

"The widespread axing of youth centres has left many young people with nowhere to turn at crucial points in their lives.

“It’s vulnerable people and those least able to fend for themselves who suffer most.

“This is the shocking legacy of nine years of Tory spending cuts. People should think about the services lost to their communities when they cast their vote on polling day.”

He said local authorities faced “impossible decisions” caused by Tory cuts.