What is happening with Mirfield Library: Kirklees Council agrees u-turn on plan to shut Mirfield Library but warned communities left feeling 'bruised'

But the council has been warned that its original unpopular proposals have left communities feeling “very bruised”.

The local authority had been looking to make eight of Kirklees’ 24 libraries community-managed in a bid to make a saving of more than £900k.

The plans for libraries at Honley, Meltham, Marsden, Kirkheaton, Skelmanthorpe, Denby Dale, Mirfield and Shepley would have seen council staff withdrawn from the sites, with responsibility handed to volunteers.

However, the plans were met with huge backlash from local communities, with a consultation revealing that volunteers and other members of the community were “overwhelmingly” against them.

This prompted a re-think, with cabinet now agreeing to move forward with a new option.

Under these latest plans, the number of council staff would be reduced across all of the borough’s 24 libraries, rather than removed altogether from the eight sites. The eight sites would also remain part of the council’s statutory library network.

Kirklees Council has said its new plan can still secure the desired level of savings and an eight-week period of consultation will soon get underway.

Councillor John Taylor (Con, Kirkburton) told the meeting that while he “broadly welcomed” the new approach and was pleased to see the administration had listened to communities, relations had been strained between the council and volunteers, with community groups left feeling “very bruised” and “poorly treated”.

He said: “This was poorly communicated, there wasn’t active engagement with ward councillors.

“There was no proper impact assessment done of the impact across the communities that were being targeted, and I used that word purposefully because it was a targeted approach where certain communities were having the legs from under them cut.”

Councillor Taylor said the original plan had seen some volunteers he’d spoken to considering leaving their roles, not only in libraries but elsewhere.

He added: “We have damaged the trust with our volunteers, and trust is easy to damage but difficult to rebuild and we need to be starting that rebuilding exercise now.”

Leader of the Council, Coun Carole Pattison, said: "I’m glad you’ve said we have listened because obviously we have and I hope you do approve of the recommendations that we’ve got here going forward with this further consultation.”