Save Doncaster Libraries - Mayor of Doncaster refuses to reopen libraries

The Mayor of Doncaster says he will overrule a council decision to reopen two libraries in Doncaster.

A Labour budget amendment to reopen libraries at Denaby and Carcroft was passed by the full council on 5 March.

Council funding was withdrawn from 14 libraries in 2011. Two closed and 12 were transferred to volunteer groups.

Peter Davies, of the English Democrats, said the amendment would undermine the voluntary nature of the plan. Labour described his decision as "appalling".

Doncaster Council has to find £80m in savings over four years.

Reducing the number of council-run libraries from 26 to 12 has saved almost £1m, Mr Davies said.

'For nothing'

 

Labour is the majority group on the council and leader Sandra Holland said the amendment would have ensured that no library in the borough would fail.

The proposal to reopen the two libraries would have cost £380,000.

It would have also provided a paid member of staff for the other 12 volunteer-run libraries.

Mr Davies said under the elected mayoral system he had the right to spend or not spend the money as he wished and would overrule the council for the first time in three years.

He said: "If you put some paid people into libraries run by volunteers the likely scenario is the volunteers will say, 'to hell with this, they are getting paid I am doing it for nothing, I am not sticking around'."

Ms Holland said: "I am appalled by the news that the mayor will ignore this vote and refuses to wake up to the fact that Doncaster people want to see community libraries supported and closed libraries reopened."

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-17277017

Save Doncaster Libraries - Doncaster libraries funding cut agreed

Council funding has been withdrawn from 14 of the 26 libraries in Doncaster.

Two libraries at Carcroft and Denaby will close on 1 November and volunteers are being sought to run 12 others as the council seeks to make savings.

However, Jill Johnson, a former head of library services in the town, said: "I think that in the long term these different kind of libraries will fail."

Mayor Peter Davies said: "I would argue that the libraries have not been working very well in the past."

The 26 libraries cost £5.26m a year to run, excluding the cost of maintenance.

Doncaster Council is currently trying to find savings of £80m over four years, as part of the cuts required by central government.

'Super-libraries'

During a heated council meeting on Wednesday, Mayor Davies said there was no other choice but to remove funding from the 14 libraries.

He said that would leave the council to focus its resources on 12 "super-libraries".

"Our policy now of making these 12 super-libraries more attractive and more pleasing for people to visit may well restore people's faith in libraries and, who knows, libraries in Doncaster may enjoy a renaissance."

Under the proposals Balby, Bawtry, Bessacarr, Edenthorpe, Intake, Moorends, Rossington, Scawthorpe, Sprotbrough, Stainforth, Warmsworth and Wheatley could all be community-led enterprises.

Ms Johnson, who was among a group of campaigners opposed to the library shake-up, said: "I think it is a very sad day, especially for these communities that are involved.

"I hope they are successful but my fear is that once the first flush of enthusiasm has worn off two or three years down the line that, in fact, they are not going to be sustainable."

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-15276602

 

EPIC FAIL!

Save Doncaster Libraries - Moves to cut library funding criticised

CONTROVERSIAL plans which will see a council cut its funding for more than half of the libraries in a Yorkshire town have been unveiled and met with a barrage of criticism from campaigners.

Earlier this year Doncaster Council launched a consultation on the future of 14 of its 26 libraries after elected Mayor Peter Davies said the authority could no longer afford to run them.

The other 12 libraries in the borough will continue to be funded, but Mr Davies said he wanted to see community groups and volunteers come forward to secure the future of those under threat.

Yesterday the council said it had sent out 65,000 questionnaires to people living near to the 14 libraries under review.

According to the authority, 7,000 people responded and “following discussions with volunteers, community groups, and library action groups, a series of recommendations have been drawn up”.

The proposals are community run libraries in existing buildings at Bawtry, Intake and Warmsworth and community-run libraries in a different venue at Balby, Bessacarr, Edenthorpe, Wheatley and Sprotbrough.

Self-service libraries are expected to be run by volunteers inside exiting council buildings at Moorends, Rossington, Stainforth and Scawthorpe, with mobile libraries at Carcroft and Denaby.

Mr Davies said: “We need to concentrate the council’s limited resources on raising the standard of the 12 funded libraries so they attract a higher amount of use.”

He added that currently, the 26 libraries cost £5.26million to run each year and this does not include the money needed to maintain and invest in the buildings.

Yesterday, the pressure group Save Doncaster’s Libraries dismissed the plans unveiled and said the mayor had not carried out the proper assessments needed to allow the council to end its association with the 14 libraries.

The council’s ruling cabinet will meet to discuss the proposals next Wednesday

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/moves_to_cut_library_funding_criticised_1_3841274

Save Doncaster Libraries - Mayor critical as Miliband backs library closure protest

MAYOR of Doncaster Peter Davies has hit back at MP Ed Miliband’s criticisms of Doncaster’s planned libraries cuts.


Mr Miliband, who is backing protesters who are fighting the planned closures, said he was adding his support for the campaign to keep 14 libraries initially named on a list of threatened closures.

He said they were an essential part of the community in Doncaster.

But Mr Davies said: “The real culprits for the closures are Mr Miliband et al whose Labour Government got us in the mess the country is in.

“He is jumping on the bandwagon without recognising the part his party has played in the mess we are in.

“The decision has been made that 12 libraries will stay open and be improved to make them more attractive to get more people in them. Central Library, for instance, has been neglected over the years.

“We will keep as many open as possible, working with the community. But we already have too many libraries in the borough. There are certainly some libraries where no-one has come forward as a community saying they are interested in keeping them open.”


Mr Miliband is due to meet campaigners from pressure group Save Doncaster’s Libraries next month. The campaigners have collected 26,000 names on a petition.

From:http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/mayor_critical_as_miliband_backs_library_closure_protest_1_3522548

He would say that though!