Campaigners vow to fight on but future of Peterborough library remains uncertain despite offer of 12-month trial

Campaigners have called for greater communication from Peterborough City Council in an effort to save Woodston Library.

Over the past year, Friends of Woodston Library have formed and have been working with members of the community to raise awareness of the library, improve footfall and try to promote the library in the face of the threat of closure, which has resulted from the library being placed on a list of assets to potential be disposed of by the city council.

Campaigners have previously insisted that the library has been set up to fail due to a lack of accessibility, caused in large parts by the library’s limited opening hours.

On Wednesday (December 4), lead campaigners Jennie Storey and former Fletton and Woodston ward councillor Andy Coles were able to address full council regarding the library after presenting a petition to 764 signatures in support of saving the building.

The meeting, however, ended with the council resolving to note the petition and take no action.

This is despite an offer for volunteers to assist with the running of the library building for 12 months on a trial basis, which campaigners have said they were not informed of until in the meeting itself.

Speaking in the meeting, Jennie said: “We directly ask the council to take Woodston Library off the assets disposal list, increase the opening hours and work with the Friends of Woodston Library and the community so we can embrace, enhance and rejuvenate this much-loved library, which the council has neglected, under-promoted and made inaccessible for far too long.

“We say, you can’t afford to close the library, can we agree a new chapter together to support the council-run library with time, enthusiasm and passion. We can bring culture and creative events to Woodston Library to enrich local lives; so important in a deprived area such as ours.

“We can give support to increase reading and literacy, critical in a city with one of the lowest literacy rates in the UK. We can give support to create healthier and happier lives.

"The library was bequeathed to local people by a former Alderman and Mayor of this City in 1950 - you were charged with the privilege of being its custodians – please protect his legacy – surely his principles, if not his politics, are worthy of your support – it could be your legacy up for debate one day.”

In response to the address, the city council’s Deputy Leader Mohammed Jamil said that he sympathised with residents and that the council was willing to pause the threat of closure and hand the library over to the Friends group for a trial period of 12 months to run and fund themselves with the help of various grants and fundraising efforts.

Cllr Jamil said: “The council currently faces the most challenging financial pressure ever. We simply can’t continue to support all of the current community facilities in Peterborough from the council taxpayers money.

“We are willing to work with you and we have listened to your passion. We have therefore offered to pause the proposed closure and offered the friends and volunteers the chance to run the library for a period of 12 months without cancelled subsidy.

"The Friends will have the chance the generate sufficient funding from external grants and fundraising and our communities team will work with yourselves on this.

“A community group could be better placed to run the facility rather than the council, having more time and resources to find ways to generate funding and to work with local partners.”

The fate of the library still remains uncertain, however, as campaigners say they were left shocked by the offer and left uncertain over the financial undertaking accepting such an offer would involve, especially when the provision of library services is a statutory requirement for the council.

Mr Coles said: “I completely understand the potential option for a lease but we have to be clear about that and there are some very big questions we have to have answered.

“Why would we lease a library when it is a statutory service provided by the council? How much money are we going to have to find to make sure we can run it? We have £200 in the bank at the minute, not really enough to even pay the electricity bill.

“We have been sprung this idea of a solution without adequate discussion. We are asking for an opportunity for the people who are involved in the Friends group to do what they can to save the library but to suddenly say you have to find all of this money- that we don’t currently have- is a surprise to us. We weren’t ready for that, we will have to go back to our members to discuss it.”

Speaking after the meeting, Jennie added: “We were deeply troubled that the first time we were being told directly about the lease was during the meeting, it put us on the back foot straight away.

“We feel it is another example of bad communication and we are still trying to fathom the events of the meeting, while our campaign goes on.

“Throughout this whole process, the only way we have been able to get information is through freedom of information requests. There have been no consultations.

“We felt that our speeches weren’t heard, we asked if they would hear the words we spoke but we feel as if they weren’t actually heard. Nobody raised questions about needing look into things.

“We feel we have been pushed into a stalemate but we will continue on with our next move.

“We thought it would be wonderful if the council said they recognised the community and they decided to work with the committed group to create something special.

“It could even be something the council could be putting Woodston Library on the national stage to say here is how one local authority is working with the community to enable a library to flourish at a time when libraries are under threat.

“Why would you get rid of a library when you have one of the lowest literacy rates in the country?”