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Monday, 03 August 2015 (3068865) |
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Council hand over library reins to community group |
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by Holly Rummens |
LIVERPOOL Council have revealed they are to hand over five of their libraries to local community groups to run.
The libraries due to be transferred to new management will be Breck Road, Dovecot, Fazakerley, Kensington and Walton.
The plans are part of wider cost-cutting measures by the council and follows a reprieve for 11 closure-threatened community libraries last year after extra cash was found.
Earlier this year the council approved plans for seven of those libraries previously identified as being at risk of closure to be run by community groups.
According to council documents five of these libraries “are nearing readiness to be taken on and managed directly by community based organisations”.
The proposals would see Breck Road and Dovecot libraries managed by Alt Valley Community Trust (AVCT) who have experience in managing Croxteth Library since they took it on in 2010.
Fazakerley Library is to be managed by Fazakerley Federation who own the premises from which Fazakerley Library is delivered, while Kensington Library will be taken on by Kensington Fields Community Association together with several locally based community partners.
Mersey Care is planning to develop Walton Library into a major health hub offering a range of health services alongside the public library, including a One Stop Shop for both council and health services.
A city council spokesman said: “This is a long and complex process and we’re pleased to be at the stage where we are in the position to transfer the running of five of our libraries to community groups and local organisations.
”There is still a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes regarding the future of the rest of our library service, and we hope to have even more positive announcements in the near future.“
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