Council striving to save libraries (From Thisisdorset)

Council striving to save libraries

12:00pm Thursday 25th January 2007

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OPTIONS are still open on plans that would bring sweeping changes to Dorset libraries.

Steve Pitt, Dorset County Council's director for adult and community services, told county councillors that the coming months would see openness in discussions between the authority and the 13 communities that are looking at ways to save their libraries.

He told the council's adult and community services overview and policy development committee: "Clearly there will come a time when county will have to be clearer about offers of support.

"We want people to understand the nature of the enterprise. We don't want to underestimate the challenge."

Mr Pitt was responding to concerns raised by Councillor Fred Drane who said a meeting between county council representatives and villagers about the possible future of Lychett Matravers library left the community more angry and concerned than before.

Coun Drane said people were anxious that the county council would withhold support after 2009 and they would have to manage by themselves.

He said: "They are not entrepreneurs."

And Councillor Susan Jefferies had a similar message when she voiced concerns about Corfe Mullen library - another of the libraries listed last year for closure to save costs and later reprieved while ways were explored to keep them open.

Paul Leivers, head of the county council's cultural services, said the plan was to have meetings in each of the communities by April to see how a community-led approach could work for them.

He said a paper - An Agenda for Change - had been prepared as a guide for communities.

Mr Leivers presented a report to the committee to update members on the situation following the council's cabinet decision to have an efficiency review of the library service.

The cabinet made the decision following a proposal last summer to close the libraries including Wyke Regis, Puddletown, Crossways, Portland Underhill, Chickerell, Wool and Burton Bradstock.

Mr Leivers said officers were looking into financial input from the private sector. He stated: "The county council will need to pay £20,000 spread over this and next financial year to commission this approach and it is anticipated that this outlay would be recouped by income in 2007-08."

He said other counties were also looking at the approach and opportunities for income could arise through merchandise, product sampling, events in libraries and more.

His report noted that several communities were forming library friends groups and he detected a drive and willingness in some for a community-led approach.

But he also observed that restructuring and uncertainty was having an effect on staff morale.

Committee members agreed to recommend to cabinet that it fund legal advice for the community organisations. They also backed the development of private sector funding.

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