Have your say on the future of Cleobury Mortimer Library
Shropshire Council is inviting residents in Cleobury Mortimer and the surrounding area to give their views on proposals for their local library service.
A period of consultation starts today – Wednesday 26 August 2015 – and will run until Wednesday 7 October 2015.
The library is one of several services currently run by Shropshire Council based at The Cleobury Country Centre in Cleobury Mortimer.
Over the past year the council has been working closely with key local partners including Cleobury Country Ltd to develop opportunities and proposals for new ways of delivering the library service and offering new services to the public.
These proposals are being put forward following conversations with local partners including Cleobury Country Ltd and the Friends of Cleobury Mortimer Library, which have explored the best options to ensure the future sustainability of the library.
The proposals detailed within the consultation document, which people are being asked to respond to are:
- Transferring the day-to-day running of the library to Cleobury Country Ltd. This means the library will remain in its existing location and opening times will not be affected except that access to a librarian will be Monday – Friday and Saturday mornings, instead of as it is currently – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday morning and every other Friday.
- The library remaining under council management, with reduced opening hours.
There is also an opportunity for residents to suggest other sustainable and cost-effective alternatives the council should consider for the future delivery of the library service Cleobury Mortimer.
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for libraries, said:
“Libraries are an integral part of the community, and this is why we have been working extremely hard with our partners to ensure we can find sustainable solutions to enable libraries to continue to thrive for future generations to come.
“We very much look forward to hearing people’s views on these proposals.”
Madge Shineton, a local Shropshire Councillor for Cleobury Mortimer, added:
“I welcome this final stage of the library review. It will be a relief to have certainty, in at least the immediate future, for this important strand of community provision.”
Residents can pick up a copy of the consultation document along with a set of answers to frequently-asked questions at Cleobury Mortimer’s Library.
Gwilym Butler, also a local Shropshire Councillor for Cleobury Mortimer, said:-
“This is your opportunity to have your say on the library and how it is run in the future. Please have your say either online or at the library, and let’s have a full community consultation.”
Comments can also be submitted online by going to shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved and searching for Cleobury Mortimer Library.
Further information
The consultation is part of a wider piece of work Shropshire Council is undertaking with partner organisations and communities across Shropshire, to ensure libraries and other key face-to-face services continue to be delivered in sustainable and more cost effective ways.
