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‘We’ll fight to save library”
LOCAL county councillor John Blackburn has vowed to “fight tooth and nail” to keep Hunmanby Library open in the face of planned cuts to the library service.
The small library and information service in Stonegate is one of 24 out of 42 branches across the county threatened with closure or the withdrawal of funding.
Also under threat are the libraries in Eastfield, Ayton and Newby/Scalby.
North Yorkshire County Council is expecting to have to save around £2 million from its library budget over the next four years as a result of major cuts in Government funding.
However, it says it will continue to invest some £5 million a year in the service and will protect 18 libraries in major centres of population, including Filey.
For libraries such as Hunmanby, the only alternative to closure might be allowing it to be run by the local community with the support of the county council. A public consultation is now under way.
Cllr Blackburn said: “A consultation is happening on everything because the county council takes the view that everything has to have its share of the pain.
“Of course there will be an outcry because nobody likes losing anything. We’ll always battle for our own corner, but you also have to be realistic and compromise.
“If push comes to shove, having a library run by volunteers is better than closing it.”
As well as concentrating its services on the remaining branches, the council is proposing to take its 10 mobile libraries off the road and add just a second “super-mobile” to serve isolated communities.
Hunmanby Parish Council chairman John Kniveton said news of the possible closure of Hunmanby Library and the reduction of mobiles seemed like “a bridge too far”.
He said: “It’s more than just a library, it’s also a computer centre and lot more things happen there than just borrowing books.
“I’d be surprised if there’s enough people with sufficient hours to keep it running on a voluntary basis, unless it’s done on a much smaller scale.”
Cllr Kniveton said he was not surprised by the proposals but believed Hunmanby was big enough to deserve a library. “It’s the largest village in Yorkshire and we need better than this.”
He added that if libraries were to close, the county needed a stronger, not a weaker mobile service to compensate.
Hunmanby Library currently opens just one full day and three half-days per week.
Derek Law, corporate director for adult and community services, said: “It’s not just about saving money.
“It’s also about providing the best service we can to the largest number of people, about adapting the libraries to meet changing demands from library users, and about ensuring that all our taxpayers get the best value for their money.
“We are convinced that an essential element of maintaining a high quality service is to provide staffed libraries in those key towns with the best transport links.”
Although mobile libraries are able to take the service to the most remote communities, the cost per user is £77.50 a year compared with £16.50 a year for a branch library.
Members of the public have until the end of February to make their views known on the county council’s proposals.
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Comments
There are 4 comments to this article
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Shirley Burnham
Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 03:51 PMApologies - name of Swindon MP is Robert Buckland.
Shirley Burnham
Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 02:15 PMPlease excuse me for putting in my twopenny's worth into what is a local debate. My Swindon MP, the highly committed Roger Buckland (not representing the Party I voted for, but who cares, as he is good) has visited the London Borough of Hillingdon and met the council member for Libraries. He reported back to me as follows : "I liked the way that he saved about 250k on book procurement, and having seen two of the libraries, I liked their appearance and atmosphere. I thought that the use of shop fitters to kit out each library with new, attractive, shelves was excellent and a good use of resources." I want to emphasise that Hillingdon has closed no community libraries and has raised usage by some 50% on all those it has refurbished. This is not magic, it is the innovative and intelligent management of their resources which are as stretched in their authority just like everywhere else. You can lose nothing by looking into the matter. Here are two links to news stories about one library in my town that lost all frontline staff in favour of volunteers : http:www.swindonadvertiser.co.uknews8425374.Library_hours_cut_due_to_lack_of_volunteers and http:www.swindonadvertiser.co.ukyoursayswindonletters8439451.Letter_from_Sherry_Waldon I wish you very good luck in your fight for your community libraries. Don't give in or give up !
thexyl
Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 10:26 AMDerek Law may think that closing the library at NewbyScalby doesn't matter since everyone will go into town. Well there's one person here who simply doesn't go into town - I refuse to pay SBC's extortionate parking charges and I can't walk far enough to get from the bus stop to the library. The library at NewbyScalby is a lifeline to many since it has computers as well as books and the staff there are a fount of information.
Bluebird One
Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 06:50 PMIf the NYCC or SBC have to make cuts to our local libraries then let them free to the communities to run. Eastfield Library was knocked down a few years ago and rebuilt, it's fantastic modern up-to date and connected to all the internet services. This and other libraries must not close. Knowledge the need for it is found in a library and many children, OAPs, and local folk use this amenity a lot. This CON-DEM Government is hell bent on cutting, slashing, and saying to the general public up yours your not having it. Even the budgets of Cities and Towns are going to be cut by Millions while "ROME BURNS" as they say people at the top don't suffer. "THEY NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD" the saying in the news again, well to all those who wish they could turn back the clock .......... to late, we have to go through the pain for 5 years, but we must stay strong and fight closures from OAPs homes to hospitals and of course LIBRARIES. We along side our local Councillors and our M.P. who must stick up for the Local people must say a BIG NO to this proposal. All local schools , local people, must send a clear message we are not going to let the NYCC get away with a quick fix and go for easy targets................... Libraries must stay they are a service to us the people....... education is the way forward for everyone not the few?.
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