Resources pooled to continue library services

North Yorkshire County Council confirmed yesterday that it has agreed to share staff resources with Kirkbymoorside Town Council and Ryedale District Council in a move which is aimed at ensuring the services continue.

The county council is battling to make £69m in cutbacks across all its services, but the latest move will not result in any redundancies.

It follows similar decisions to share resources which has seen a tourist information centre run by Ryedale District Council move into Malton library, which is overseen by the county council.

The council council’s management co-ordinator for the east of North Yorkshire, Lee Taylor, said: “We have been determined to look at any way we can to protect the services that are on offer.

“The decision to share staff is another example of more innovative ways which all local authorities are having to look towards as budgets become increasingly tight.”

The pooled resources will see five part-time staff – two each from the county council and the district council and one from the town council – operate the library and extend the hours of the community information services.

The new arrangements come into force from June 1, and will also mean that the town council will be able to offer its services from the building.

The county council’s executive member for libraries, Coun Chris Metcalfe, said: “The arrangement for Kirkbymoorside points the way ahead.

“It is an excellent example of flexible, effective and cost-efficient partnership working, so that library and information services can be sustained in our communities through the years ahead.”

The county council has also embarked on an unprecedented transfer of the running of many of its 42 libraries to volunteers in a bid to counter the multi-million pound cuts in funding from the Government.

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