More time urged for public to save threatened local libraries

A bid is being drawn up by Liberal Democrats on North Yorkshire County Council to save the libraries by giving the public more time to come up with business plans to take on their running.

A motion which has been submitted by Coun Bill Hoult will be debated at a full council meeting at County Hall in Northallerton on Wednesday.

Coun Hoult has called on members of the council’s executive to instigate a six-month extension to the October 31 deadline for communities to submit the business plans.

He said: “The idea that people will be able to have everything in place by the end of October is an unrealistic timescale.

“More time is needed for local communities to come together and find a solution.

“For people to come together and draw up plans from scratch is very tough, and the county council should be doing everything in its power to help keep these libraries open.”

The Tory-led county council has faced a public outcry over its controversial plans to enforce a series of library closures to counter cutbacks totalling £69m across all its services.

It was initially feared that £2.3m would have to cut by 2013-14 from the annual library budget of £7.5m, although the figure has reduced to £1.7m after additional funding was found.

As many as 23 of the authority’s 42 libraries were thought to have been in the running for closure, although the number of sites at risk has now been reduced to eight.

The libraries which could be axed are at Hunmanby, Barlby, Bilton and East Ayton as well as Embsay, Gargrave, Great Ayton and Masham.

Council officials are holding talks with the public in the hope community volunteers will take on the running of the remaining under-threat locations.

The Yorkshire Post revealed last month that the council has had more than 6,000 written responses and 2,000 people have attended public meetings to find out more about becoming involved in running the library services.

However, the council’s executive member for the library and information service, Chris Metcalfe, maintained that it was unrealistic to provide the six-month extension.

He claimed the move would cost the authority up to £180,000, and added: “It would be unfair on other library sites which would already have their hours restricted, while the eight libraries would continue to operate as they are now (if the extension was applied).

“We are committed to holding ongoing talks with communities to try and find a way forward. But people need to realise that they have to come up with a solution otherwise these sites will be forced to close.”

The recruitment of community volunteers is seen as key to helping prevent at least some of the closures.

A deal which has involved residents taking on the running of the library in Hawes is seen as a model for the future to bring volunteers on board to help.

Other successful volunteer schemes are already running in Grassington in Wharfedale and in an ExtraCare residential home in Bainbridge.

The council has received other offers from local communities to create library outlets in village halls, shops and pubs.

The Yorkshire Post revealed in February that under-threat libraries were being given a reprieve to allow more discussions with the public after a storm of protest.

While the council has maintained it is committed to preserving the library service in any way it can, even the most widely-used sites will endure cuts in opening times and staffing levels.

A report detailing the outcome of the discussions will go before the council’s executive in October.