MORE than 2,400 people have responded to LiveWire’s public consultation into the proposed changes to libraries and learning in Warrington which has now ended.
Over the last seven weeks, the neighbourhood wellbeing company has received responses from residents across the town who have expressed their views on the library modernisation proposals.
These have been received via the paper feedback forms handed out at LiveWire sites and at consultation sessions and through the LiveWire consultation inbox and council emails.
A total of 1,007 residents attended the 18 public consultation sessions which were held at venues across the town between 5 September and 4 October.
The consultation was extended by an extra 17 days last month to allow LiveWire to attend follow up meetings and to give residents longer to have their say following the final public consultation session at Walton Hall on Tuesday 4 October.
A further 110 residents attended follow up meetings that were requested in Lymm, Padgate, Stockton Heath and Culcheth.
In line with a national trend, attendance at traditional libraries has fallen across Warrington. The proposals outlined in the consultation aimed to look at different ways of delivering libraries and learning and other LiveWire services with a view to modernising them for the future.
Emma Hutchinson, managing director of LiveWire, said: “I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to input into the consultation process and for working with us over its duration.
“We have received a significant amount of feedback from residents across the town including some fantastic suggestions from Councillors, Parish Councillors and residents as to how we could work with existing businesses and community groups across the town to deliver a wider range of services from existing library sites with a view to making the buildings financially sustainable.
“Understandably, some of the feedback received reflected residents’ concerns at the various proposals whilst others made suggestions about different ways of delivering LiveWire services in the future.
“All feedback generated during the consultation process along with the 38 degrees petition, which has been signed by 10,711 people, alongside another petition for Culcheth Library, which received 890 signatures, will be included as part of the report to the council on the feedback from the consultation.”
Executive board member for culture, leisure and communities, Cllr Tony Higgins, said: “We have worked really hard to run an open, transparent consultation that has given everyone the chance to have their say on this important issue.
“I would like to reassure everyone that we are listening to your views. All suggestions are being taken on-board and no decisions have yet been made. We will now be taking some time to carefully consider all of the options before making final recommendations.”
The next steps will be to analyse feedback received to create a report which will be presented to Warrington Borough Council in the New Year who will make the final decision on the proposals in 2017.
Residents campaigning at Stockton Heath
Campaigners outside Lymm Library
