A PETITION to save the Redditch town centre library building has been presented to Worcestershire County Council.
Organised by Redditch Labour Party, the petition, called ‘Keep our library at the heart of Redditch – with a guaranteed plan and full services’ contained 1,870 signatures.
It was generated in response to public concerns about proposals to demolish the library with £4.2million of Towns Deal money received by the borough council.
The library building is owned by the county council and is responsible for library services in Worcestershire.
Speaking at the full council meeting, Redditch campaigner Joe Baker said: “It seems extraordinary to spend more than £4m to destroy a purpose-built facility and its surrounding newly-laid and expensive paving to create an empty space.
“But what is of even greater concern is that we have seen no plans for the future of the library’s services after the proposed demolition.
“We’re also calling for open and transparent consultation with local people on the plans and costings for the future of the services.”
Fellow campaigner Joanna Kane added: “The library building is an asset of Worcestershire County Council, yet we have seen no reports of this council’s agreement to dispose of it, or of costs involved in relocating the services.
“Until we see a viable plan showing that the future location of the library and its services we’re calling for it to stay where it is.”
A total of 622 residents responded to Redditch Conservatives’ Town Deal consultation last year, of whom 46 per cent – 287 people – considered ‘a public square on the library site’ to be a positive idea.
In addition to lending books the library also houses 48 public computers, a self service printer and photocopier, three meeting rooms for public hire, and a gallery space for artists or groups to display and sell their paintings or photographs.
It is also home to thousands of books from the 1700s to the 1960s, a humidity-controlled room for bound newspapers from the 1800s and 1900s as well as an historical photo archive of Redditch.
Councillor Andy Fry, the leader of the Labour group on Redditch Borough Council, said: “Redditch Labour understands that £800,000 worth of savings are to be made within library services this year.
“We will not accept a downgrade of our library in order to facilitate these cuts.”
The Leader of Redditch Borough Council Councillor Matt Dormer, who also holds the portfolio communities and libraries at County Hall said: “First can I say there are no plans to cut the budget by £800,000.
“The budget will not even be set until the end of February and there will be no cuts in service and no cuts in staff.
“Having seen the petition to ‘save the library’ and keep it in the heart of the town, there is no need to save the library because the library function is safe.
“And I believe Labour would never have got 1,800 signatures if they had been honest with people about it.”
