Below is a copy of the letter sent to the Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council from St Anne’s Town Council re: St Annes Library closure.
Ms A Ridgwell – Chief Executive Officer Lancashire County Council
County Hall
Lancashire County Council
Fishergate, PRESTON PR1 8XJ
Dear Ms Ridgwell
RE: ST. ANNES LIBRARY – CLOSURE
I am writing to you on behalf of both the Town Council and the residents of St. Anne’s regarding concerns for the future of St. Anne’s Library which has been closed since 4thAugust 2017. Initially the closure was attributed to ceiling/plaster repairs, however the closure appears to be ongoing and the library is still closed 8 months later.
The Library is a local and important community hub, residents being without access for a considerable time. It is a Grade 2 listed building which has been awarded a well-deserved Blue Plaque for historical significance. It should be noted that Lancashire County Council are custodians of this highly important and valuable building and has both a legal and moral requirement to ensure it is correctly maintained.
It is now considered that it has taken too long for Lancashire County Council to share a report as to the true state of the fabric of the building; it appears that successive administrations at County Hall have failed to maintain the building correctly.
Whilst it is acknowledged that there is now the temporary provision of a Library van, it only holds a finite stock of material. With the increase in the number of services and organisations who insist upon on-line responses; (Lancashire County Council being one of these organisations) residents without a computer no longer have access to the very popular public computers which were available in the now closed St. Anne’s Library building.
The provision of the mobile Library unit within St. Anne’s and the extra hours opening of Ansdell Library do not in any way provide reasonable cover for a town with a population nearing 30,000 residents. I am sure you are aware that St. Anne’s is the largest populated parish within the Fylde coast.
At the Town Council meeting held on the 24th April 2018, it was unanimously agreed that the Town Clerk be requested to formally write to both the Chief Executive and the Leader of Lancashire County Council expressing the Town Council’s concerns over the delays in repairing and reopening St. Anne’s Library permanent building. The Town Council also wishes to have sight of the formal report on the current state of repairs, an indication of the building work, a time scale for the completion of the repairs and a projected opening date.
The Lancashire County Council website states that St. Anne’s Library will reopen “next year” but does not give any tangible dates nor provide any reassurance to local people. The library also accommodated the Registrar service and the displacement of this service is extremely inconvenient to residents.
I would be grateful if you could explain/provide the formal report on the current state of repairs, an indication of the building work required, a time scale for the completion of the repairs and a projected opening date. The Town Council wishes to reassure residents that their library does have a future; as things stand it seems that it is at risk of closure by “stealth”.
I look forward to receiving your response to the requested information.
Yours sincerely
Sally Taylor
Town Clerk
On behalf of St. Anne’s Town Council