MEDIA RELEASE
Issued: December 18, 2018
Parish council set to budget for 'community library service'
at under-threat library
A budget item of £15,000 is being proposed by North Weald Bassett Parish Council to cover the estimated cost of running the under-threat village library as a 'community library service' for a year.
The parish council has been quoted the £15,000 figure by Essex County Council as the total cost to run the current building for 12 months.
The High Road library, which is also home to the parish council's office, is earmarked for closure as part of Essex County Council's proposed shake-up of library service across Essex.
Parish council officer Adriana Jones told Monday's finance and general purposes committee meeting that she had spoken to Finchingfield Library which is run by volunteers who are responsible for changing the books (by going to Braintree Library).
She said: "If we were to run this (North Weald) as a community library, and using Finchingfield as a guide, it would be purely on our own terms with very little, if any, involvement from Essex County Council.”
Expressing the comments received from library users regarding North Weald Library, she said: "A number of people have said it is a community space, it's a place where people go. They come to us, they go on the computers. It's a place where people meet."
She added: "Would they (residents) be happy and could you (councillors) justify spending more than £15,000 to keep this building open for a year?"
Councillor Sheila Jackman said: "It's the cost of maintaining this building that worries me."
Councillor Terry Blanks said: "This (the possible closure) is a positive threat which is on the table. We would be very remiss if we didn't put something in the pot for it."
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