£1m children's reading scheme in doubt as council reconsiders

Doubt has been cast over the future of the proposed Imagination Library scheme to help under fives learn to read after councillors decided to reconsider it.

Pioneered by country and western singer Dolly Parton, who founded the first scheme in 1996 in her home town of Sevierville, Tennessee, Imagination Libraries provide books for young children.

But members of Calderdale's Cabinet will discuss the future of the scheme when they meet on June 21 and whether the council should proceed with the contract.

Imagination Libraries in the USA provide a book each month from birth until age five to registered children in participating communities.

But each scheme needs a local sponsor to fund the cost of the books and mailing.

Calderdale Council deputy leader Tim Swift said: "When we know that the council is going to face some really tough decisions it has to be right that we look carefully at new projects where money has not yet been spent."

Under the current proposals Calderdale Council would sponsor the Imagination Library at a cost of 1m over three years.

Councillors say that, in the current financial climate, it is right they take another careful look at the scheme to see whether or not it is good value for money.

The Cabinet member for children and young people's services,Olwen Jennings, said: "The contract for the delivery of the Imagination Library has not yet been signed so this gives the Cabinet and the council the opportunity to think about this matter again.

"Financially, things will be difficult for the council over the next few years so it is sensible to look at this scheme to see whether it really is the best way to spend 1m.

"If Cabinet wants to make a change then the matter will go to council for a final decision so every member will be able to have their say on the issue."

Calderdale was the 11th area to sign up to the Imagination Library project, which aims to engage children in reading before they start school.

The president of Dolly Parton's charity the Dollywood Foundation, David Dotson, travelled from Tennessee to Halifax Town Hall to discuss the scheme with a view to implementing it later this year.

It was hoped the library scheme would be officially launched in July.

Minutes from a meeting of Calderdale Council's's cabinet on May 4, where the Imagination Library project was discussed, say: "The project represented an opportunity to deliver an innovative project in Calderdale which would raise literacy levels among pre-school children and could have the potential to significantly affect life outcomes for young people and their families, contributing to several key targets in the Children and Young People's Plan and the Local Area Agreement.

"It would offer a unique opportunity to provide an early start in language development and to build on the council's ongoing commitment to raising standards in reading and outcomes for children and young people."

Rotherham became the first area in the UK to sign up to the Imagination Library and in December it was hailed a success after it recruited its 10,000th member.

Rotherham's Imagination Library attracted huge attention when it was first unveiled in 2007, with Dolly Parton, who backs the scheme through the Dollywood Foundation, arriving in the town.