A CONTROVERSIAL plan to close two Warrington branch libraries and axe the mobile library service to save £121,000 a year looks set to be approved by council chiefs.
Grappenhall and Great Sankey libraries will close from April 1 if a recommendation to the borough council’s executive board is approved next Monday.
Others cutbacks are being recommended – including £25,000 by leaving posts vacant and redirecting management costs, £10,000 on reference books, £4,000 by ceasing to buy periodicals and £26,000 on further efficiencies in supplies and services budgets.
The council has carried out a public consultation in which 1,709 people expressed a preference for the closures compared with 846 who preferred to see savings made by another option – reducing opening hours at all libraries across the borough.
A report by Cllr Bob Timmis, executive member for leisure and skills, says it appears that people have expressed a preference for the option which would result in the least disruption to the service they currently enjoy.
Cclr Timmis said the response to the consultation made it clear respondents were overwhelmingly supportive of the value of the library service and were reluctant to see reductions to the service – particularly as they experienced it.
Council officers have put forward a number of initiatives to mitigate the impact of the cutbacks.
They plan to appoint a part-time volunteer co-ordinator, increase the number of library volunteers from 60 to 150, roll out the Six Book Challenge to residents with literary problems, extend the home library service, increase the number of library volunteers from 60 to 150, roll out the Six Book Challenge to residents literary problems, extend the home library service, increase visits to schools by librarians, extend the Computer Buddy project in community centres and other neighbourhood buildings, pilot a new “Read to Me” project for isolated and vulnerable people in the community and pilot the use of emerging technology, such as electronic books, for vulnerable residents and release buildings as community assets to be run by local people.
They will also explore the use of neighbourhood warden’s vans to extend the home delivery service.
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to close two Warrington branch libraries and axe
the mobile library service to save £121,000 a year looks set to be
approved by council chiefs.
Library closures set to go ahead
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
7 Comments
tHEY ARE UNDER USED -cut them back – What about the Jewel of the Town Centre Library – fantastic re-vamp still under used. Warrington is lucky to have so many libraries but does it really need them all – I think not
Watch Labour make game of this – Its because of them that the Country is broke.
Why does everything suddenly have to become a reference to LABOUR Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Having not used the libraries in years I decided to rejoin and I’ve been in Warrington library three times since October and each time I was the only person in there. I must admit though I would much prefer to walk into a library and browse the available books than to try and get them via limited stock on a van or order by browsing what is available by internet. I was pleased to read that if approved they are going to RELEASE the closed library buildings as COMMUNITY ASSETS… rather than to sell them off to the highest bidder.
Come on Diz you know the score. Even if it only looks like rain then someone on here will try to make a political point out of it.
Yes but it gets blummin’ annoying for those of us who are not politically motivated and have no points to score in that field not to mention that it tends to detract from the issue…. and also no doubt puts other people off commenting !! They are all as bad as each other anyway đ
Warrington town centre library is hardly the ‘jewel in the crown’. Compared to the main libraries in Manchester and Liverpool it is pathetic. The only good thing about it is the staff who are in fact really helpful. Anyone needing any decent, up to date reference books needs to travel out of town to get them- or buy them. The local reference library is too small and most of the material re Warrington’s history is still stored in Chester. Ripping down the old BT exchange and building a new library, to match the facilities other towns the size of Warrington have might be an idea?
So the council are going to “release buildings as community assets to be run by local people.” errr…..the buildings are already being used as community assets,and are being run by local people (paid librarians). What this really means is that the council are going to re-lease the (publicly owned) buildings (back to the public at probably an exhorbitant price) as community assets (which they already are) to be run by (un-paid) local people. What a very Lib/CON idea!
I never thought of that đ