Mobile library cut to balance council books
THE mobile library service has become the latest to suffer at the hands of the county council’s ongoing effort to slash its budget – and some of Crawley’s most isolated residents will be the ones to suffer.
On Monday (June 6), the service to Tilgate, Worth, Three Bridges and Pease Pottage ended when the council reduced its fleet from three to two vehicles in an effort to save £65,000 as part of a £1million saving for the library service. A further £1m saving must be made by March 2014.
The move has not been welcomed by ward councillors from both Parties.
Tilgate Cllr Colin Lloyd described the decision as a “very disappointing development” and added: “It is clearly yet another aspect of continuing reductions in levels of service in Crawley by WSCC.
“Mobile libraries play a vital part in bringing the library service to people who for one reason or another, whether they live in isolated rural areas or in large towns, cannot access local libraries easily.
“I hope WSCC will look at new ways of helping people disadvantaged by this latest cutback. Perhaps this could involve community outreach work by librarians based at Crawley library and maybe the school library service in Crawley.”
Worth Cllr Claire Denman said she would be writing to the county council to express her worries.
She added: “I’m more than a little concerned. There are many elderly residents in Worth. The library service will stop at Pound Hill Parade and that’s a bit of a long slog.
“Worth is right on the outskirts of Crawley and is on a steep hill and I know there are clusters of elderly residents and young mums who will be affected by this.
“We encourage people to read and if you remove this then that’s another barrier to learning. Anything that stops people from learning is not a good thing in my book.”
The decision to reduce the mobile library service was taken by Deborah Urquhart, county council cabinet member for environment and economy, who oversees libraries.
She said. “We have held meetings with communities, parish and town councils, and taken advice from our staff who operate these mobile routes.
“They have helped us to identify the less well used stops, but also ensure that particularly vulnerable customers are not missed out.
“We have already planned alternative services for those individuals who have been brought to our attention.
“In some cases we have amalgamated several nearby stops into a smaller number. In some instances visits will be fortnightly instead of weekly, or monthly instead of every two weeks.
“This has not been an easy process, but I am sure we now have a fair schedule of stops which maintains the service to those in need and achieves the required financial savings.”
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