25th May 2011

BEAMINSTER: Not going without a fight

Library users angry at lack of publicity regarding consultation

By Tom Glover

ANGRY Beaminster residents said they wouldn’t lose the town’s library without a fight as Dorset County Council began its latest consultation on the future of the service.

Over the next three weeks DCC will be holding a series of drop-in session at the county’s “at risk” libraries to discuss proposals for cuts.
Beaminster was the first library to be visited on Monday of this week.

Despite strong criticism from residents about the lack of publicity for the event, around 20 people turned up to make their voices heard.
Residents argued about the validity of the questionnaires and how they would be analysed.

Key issues raised were the importance of the service in Beaminster for many outlying parishes. Residents argued that the library had a much wider catchemnt area than was being suggested and that the town was in fact a “point of convergence” for many rural areas.

The importance of public access to computers, especially for jobseekers and students, was also raised. As was the educational need for the service for the many school’s, playgroups and book groups it serves.

The oldest resident in attendance was 84-year-old Leslie Symons.

Mr Symons said the library was his main source of relaxation and he said elderly people would miss it a “great deal” if the service was cut.

“I’m absolutely certain that losing the library would isolate older people.

Although there are these other helpful services like mobile libraries and special delivery services they are of limited application and also not everybody will make the effort or be able to make the effort,” he said.

“If you have a mobile library and on the day it comes you are not feeling well or you have to go to the doctors, you’ve then lost it for another fortnight.

“Beaminster is not going without a fight and there would be many more people if we were given adequate notice.”

A-Level student Charlotte Rowan, 18, visits the library after school and at weekends, regularly borrows books and uses the internet at the library.

She said: “Quite apart from it just being useful, it’s also nice to have the library.

“The librarians are lovely, they’re nice to chat to and so I think we would lose a lot if we were to lose the library.

“It’s definitely helped with my own education and I think it’s vital for students, it’s not just elderly people here. If I’d had to get a bus to Bridport to use their library it just wouldn’t have been possible. I couldn’t have afforded to get there everyday, it just wouldn’t have been worth it.”

Beaminster resident Jenny Cuthbert said the publicity of the drop-in session had been “abysmal” and encouraged those who missed it to make their voices heard.

“If this is an example of consultation I think it is absolutely outrageous that even that can’t be organised properly so that the people in the town can come and discuss it,” she said.

“I think they would like to have already made their decision but hopefully if enough people make enough valid points there will be a possibility to change minds and hearts.

“I think there are people working very hard towards doing that and I think more of us need to so anybody who hasn’t filled in their questionnaire ought to come down and do it.”

Hosting the drop-in session was Elaine Arthur, Senior Manager for Customer Service for the library service.

After the session she said: “I’m pleased with the turnout and it’s good to see how much people do value the local library service here in Beaminster, that is a real encouragement to us.

“I know that people would prefer no change but it’s just a difficult situation where elected members are going to have make a decision on how they save this money.”

To find more information about the current Library Service Consultation proposals visit www.dorsetforyou.com/libraryconsultation2011.
Questionnaires are available in Beaminster Library and must be completed by June 13th.

Dorset County Council will make their decision on the future of all 20 threatened Dorset libraries at their full cabinet meeting on July 21st.

PICTURE: CONCEREND - Angry residents shared their concerns with Dorset County Council about the future of the town's library

BEAMINSTER: Not going without a fight

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