Last night, Cllr Ruth Molyneux spoke at the Wirral Council Budget meeting. Watch her impassioned speech. Greens asked to save nature by protecting Hoylake beach and reinvesting money in our under-threat library services.
There’s no real need for me to tell everyone here about the value of libraries in our communities….but I will anyway.
Libraries provide free access to a treasure trove of books for people of all ages. But libraries aren’t just about books, they are a warm safe space with a friendly face, they’re Lego club, story time, mums and tots, craft club, knit and natter, film night and they are also a place of work, employing people that are dedicated to the library service and the communities they serve. It’s worth noting that the positive impact that libraries have on the health and well-being of Wirral residents is immeasurable.
Wirral library services have changed since 2022
• Wallasey Central
• Birkenhead Central
• West Kirby
• Bebington Central
• Beechwood
• Heswall
• Eastham
• Greasby
• Moreton
• Rock Ferry
• Upton
Remain unchanged
Four were co-located
• Leasowe -in leisure centre
• New Ferry-with local school
• Seacombe-in children’s centre
• St James–in community centre
Three were transferred
• Higher Bebington-to local school as an extra provision base
• Pensby-successful CAT
• Wallasey Village-successful Cat
And the remaining six were closed
• Hoylake
• Irby
• Prenton
• Ridgeway
• Woodchurch
And finally, Bromborough-closed and sold. There were 2 credible , high scoring business plans on the table for Bromborough but incredulously Labour and Conservative councillors voted to sell this building at the final hurdle, betraying not just the community groups that had worked so hard to put their business plans together but a whole community of passionate people who were looking forward to having there much loved community hub brought back into use.
That’s just two successful CATs for libraries, we must do better
There needs be a thorough review of asset transfer policy to set the context for any future community asset transfers
A forward thinking library strategy should include the option for community managed libraries and options for a hybrid model as well as a fully managed service.
There should also a monitoring of success including the social value
Its right that more time is given to formulate a library strategy that is fit for purpose and leaves no community behind with full and ongoing support for community groups that show interest in a community managed library model.