The future of Alderley Edge Library is under threat as Cheshire East Council is considering closing the three smallest libraries in the borough in order to save money over the next three years.
The Council has published it Pre Budget Consultation for 2018-21 which includes closing Alderley Edge, Disley and Prestbury libraries in order to save £150,000 a year.
The consultation document states "The Council has a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all in the area that want to make use of it, but the Council is able to determine where libraries are provided giving consideration to equalities and best value duties. The Council would welcome proposals from local community organisations to deliver these libraries as community managed libraries as an alternative to closure."
Councillor Craig Browne said "Public libraries began to appear in Britain in the aftermath of the Public Libraries Act (1850). I find it a sad indictment on modern Britain that, as a country, we no longer appear able to afford to fund public services that we could afford to fund over 150 years ago. I think the proposal also reflects poorly upon the current political leadership at Cheshire East Council, particularly in the light of their recent decision to gift £2.4m of taxpayers money to ANSA, a council-owned company."
He added "I firmly believe that libraries continue to be an important cultural and educational resource, whilst helping to address issues of social isolation within the communities they serve. Libraries are as relevant today as they always have been and an indication of this can be seen from the number of young children taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge each year.
The Pre-Budget Report presents a set of proposals to fill a budget gap in excess of £70m, which includes reductions in government grant of nearly £20m, inflation of over £10m and increased demand for services estimated to increase costs by almost £40m.
The proposals in the consultation document assume that Council Tax will increase by up to 4.99% in 2018/19 and a further 1.99% in each of 2019/20 and 2020/21. The potential additional income from this would be £40.7m, leaving around £30m of savings to be achieved from changes and efficiencies within services.
The Pre Budget Consultation 2018- 21 document can be viewed here.
The document contains a number of questions, providing people with an opportunity to give feedback on the various proposals. An on-line survey can be completed here.
Comments on this document are welcome until 12th January 2018.
You can send any comments, queries or other responses, such as alternative areas for savings, by email - all responses will be captured and reported to Cabinet Members and Council. When submitting a response or comment, please include your name, organisation (if applicable) and contact details.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
The job center in Wilmslow has shut, again rightly so because the way to find work is now via the internet.
The council should sell the property so it can be used for housing or a business, and re invest in something we need, like decent roads.
If I can manage it, so can you!
It took a bit of time because you have to navigate around the consultation documents in order to find the part relating to Alderley Edge Library. The survey asks that you identify the specific proposal number.
In order to assist others, the part relating to the potential closure of AE Library is Proposal No. 79 and it can be found on page 89 of the consultation document.
I found the questions about sexuality, ethnicity and religion a little bit disconcerting but guess that's a sign of the times.
I think that if we can learn anything from recent events at Cheshire East it is that Councils cannot be relied upon to provide best value for money.
The (simplistic) way that I see it is that we pay tax - either locally or to central government, and in return we expect services.
The rather worrying paradox is that our tax goes up whilst services are cut. Any commercial organisation operating in this way would crash
Before we entertain any further increase in tax, or any further cut in services we should hold the feet (of those who take it and spend it) much closer to the fire.
I have been going to the library regularly with my two young girls for over 3 years, the two weekly rhyme times are heaving with parents and their young children and there are constant events to do with reading, games, arts and crafts that are wonderful for children of all ages to attend.
When the weather is crap there is nothing else in the village to do if you want to get out and don’t want to sit in a cafe.
The library is homely, modern and the staff are wonderful. I know of parents who visit from villages around Alderley as it is such a particularly nice library.
When I’ve been in I have seen all sorts of people of all ages from the elderly to uniformed school kids yes taking out books but also asking to use the internet, studying, job hunting, reading the papers and borrowing dvds. It is short sighted to say Google and e-readers etc should see the death of books or libraries, or the money should be spent on roads instead, or the library - which sits under apartments - turned into housing or a business - bizarre.
Clearly the council’s money isn’t limitless but this is our village library, a comfortable warm hub where people can read, study, use the internet for free, print and fax things if they haven’t got their own devices, catch up with the free papers and local magazines there, just get out of their house and not have to pay for a coffee and it is the nicest library I have visited in East Cheshire and Stockport by a mile - I think it would be dreadful to see this public service go and know of many people especially parents who would like their kids to read actual books who think the same.