SAVE OUR LIBRARY SERVICES! ‘Disappointment’ as ‘wonderful’ library used by Sir Patrick Stewart faces services shake-up under new Kirklees Council proposals

The library, on Huddersfield Road, is one of eight within Kirklees which would be handed over to volunteers to run in plans which, the council say, could save nearly £2 million over a two-year period but put 47 jobs at risk.

While libraries at Dewsbury, Batley, Cleckheaton, Birstall and Ravensthorpe will become some of Kirklees’ 10 ‘Integrated Hubs’, Mirfield’s, which is open six days a week and for a total of 35 and a half hours, would lose council staff, as well as building contribution from Kirklees.

The other seven libraries across the district - at Shepley, Denby Dale, Skelmanthorpe, Marsden, Kirkheaton, Honley and Meltham - that are affected by the plans are only open between 15 and 22 hours per week.

Six further settings, at Birkby, Lindley, Deighton, Slaithwaite, Golcar and Dalton, would become ‘Community Supported Libraries’ where some facilities could be reduced, although staff would remain.

Members of voluntary community group Friends of Mirfield Library, who are dedicated to protecting the services as well as the building, have insisted that “professional” council staff need to be kept on, at what they describe as “a lifeline” and “community hub.”

Cynthia Collinson, chair of the group, said: “We were very disappointed when we saw the proposal of how the library services have been split into these categories and our question is how come Mirfield is in the community managed category when it is a big library and well used?

“It is used every day and it serves residents of over 20,000 people. Why is it in the smaller group category with part-time libraries, some of which are only open a couple of hours a week? It needs moving to one of the other categories.”

She added: “It is a community hub. There are so many activities that go on here. There is something happening here every day, all day. We have Andy’s Man Club, the wellness groups, there is a baby clinic.

“It is the only council building left in the area and it is a lifeline for so many people. The council needs to look at Mirfield Library again and make sure it is going to be funded and looked after for the future.

“This building has a wonderful history - it needs to have a wonderful future and it needs staff.”

The proposals, which are set to be discussed at a Cabinet meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, February 20, have also been queried by Mirfield councillor Martyn Bolt, who pointed out that one of the town’s most famous sons, Sir Patrick Stewart, used the facilities as a child.

Coun Bolt, who was representing Mark Eastwood MP who had recently met with the group, said: “I am very disappointed with the content of the report. The basics of this is to make financial savings but there is nothing in the report that says how they are going to achieve that.

“Not only is this a community resource but if anybody reads Sir Patrick Stewart’s autobiography they will find out that he references the time he spent in this very library as a child losing himself in books, yet Kirklees seem to want to deprive that from someone they lord as their first citizens.”

He added: “To the council, to the leader and colleagues, I would say do what it says in the report: engage with communities. This should have been done before this report was put out because the timescales now to do this by summer puts a lot of strain on the hardworking volunteers and others in Mirfield to deliver this.

“It seems to me that it is a done deal but I hope that I am wrong and hope that they will reflect and make a proper demographic decision.”

Coun Adam Gregg, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for the new seat of Spen Valley, which includes Mirfield, at the next general election, said:

“I am looking forward to making representation at the cabinet meeting tomorrow on behalf of residents and volunteers of Mirfield Library. The council has put forward these proposals which potentially undermine the quality of library provision across Kirklees.

“I don’t believe they have thought this through properly, which is obviously very disappointing, with potentially 47 jobs at risk.

“In terms of moving forwards, we need the council to engage with people before drawing up plans like this.

“The understanding I had as a councillor was that the library provision across the district would be that all the libraries would be information hubs so for that to happen you need to have professional library staff in every library for that to be delivered. Clearly that is not going to happen with this report.

“We are going to be fighting it all the way and looking forward to getting some answers.”

The Kirklees Council report states: “Kirklees has a statutory duty to deliver a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service. Over the past decade the service has continued to evolve to meet the changing needs of communities and to further develop its ambitions to increase the direct involvement of communities in delivering and shaping services.”

“The eight community managed libraries will sit outside our statutory provision of 16 libraries but will still have access to resources, including book stock, from the statutory network.

“This model will support us to move to a more strengths-based approach drawing on the knowledge, skills and resources which already exist within our communities.

“This will provide the community the freedom to shape their own offer of support, expand on existing provision and respond to community needs.”

Kirklees Council has been approached for further comment.