A CONTROVERSIAL proposal to close Rugby Library on Sundays will no longer go ahead.
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) announced that it no longer intends to go ahead with previously planned cuts to library services.
The council had previously proposed the move – which would also have affected libraries in Leamington and Nuneaton – to make savings of £50,000.
It was among cuts amounting to around £80million proposed in WCC’s Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) which the council said were being made due to the pressure on services it is legally obliged to provide, such as education and social care.
A council spokesperson said: “When the budget was set in February, final Public Health grant and Business Rate figures had not been confirmed.
“Now, having received better than anticipated figures, the council has reconsidered some of the most difficult savings planned and is now pleased to propose no changes to Sunday opening hours.”
The council has also abandoned plans to scale back a planned expansion of the Community Managed Library Network.
Coun Peter Butlin, WCC’s spokesperson for Finance and Property, said: “I am delighted that due we are now able to remove the savings we most wanted to avoid.
“We propose to boost investment in preventative activity and maintain library services enjoyed by so many on Sundays.
“It is a constant challenge to protect these services from the impact of financial pressures and I am sure many of our residents will be delighted with the news.”
Opposition to the move was vocal, with a petition against the move having attracted over 800 signatures in just thee days.
Karen Blackwell, who started the petition, had said the move posed ‘a significant threat to the wellbeing of our community’.
She added: “Libraries serve as critical resources offering a wide range of services to all community members, especially families and the most vulnerable among us.
“They provide access to knowledge, technology, and a safe, quiet place for study and enrichment. Closing the libraries on a Sunday would limit the availability of these essential services.”
The council has also reversed proposed cuts to some public health services, and will instead invest more in preventative activity.
Proposed cuts to services relating to domestic violence and abuse, Independent Sexual Violence Advice and mental health prevention services will no longer go ahead.
The council will instead invest £900,000 on preventative activity through WCC’s main Public Health contracts, including a focus on new birth visits within 14 days, infant mortality, and NHS health checks.
Coun Margaret Bell, WCC spokesperson for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “Investment in prevention is key to addressing health inequalities across the county. It is good news indeed that we can reverse these savings and invest more in core preventative activity.”
Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to confirm the changes at its meeting in April.
