Groby library closure moves a step nearer
Doreen and Ethel are walking for LOROS!
Norman Griffiths reports on a blow to hopes of keeping the library open
In the days running up to the printing deadline for this edition of the Spotlight the hopes of saving Groby library from the County Council axe have suffered a double blow. The library cannot be run as part of Groby Parish Council and can only be saved by the formation of a trust or similar organisation. But with the 16th January deadline for registering an interest in running Groby Library imminent, the only party planning to apply has received little community support and has withdrawn from the process. In another development a meeting of the Parish Council’s Finance Committee on Thursday January 8th decided to recommend to the full council meeting on January 12th that in the financial year 2014/15 there should be no funding of a Library Trust. The Committee members did, however, recommend that consideration should be given in future years to assisting with non-staffing costs as financial support from the County Council diminished. The outcome of the budget discussion at the January Parish Council meeting was not known as the Spotlight went to press, but details will be available on www,grobyonline.tk. The County Council’s cost cutting proposals have been known for some time, but detailed running costs for Groby Library were not provided to interested parties until December. The Christmas holiday effectively reduced the time available for full consideration of the financial implications. Last August the Parish Council conducted a survey of residents through the Spotlight to assess whether or not they wanted a library in Groby. The result was an overwhelming Yes with a 98% vote in favour. A 50p a month increase in Council Tax was considered acceptable. Even with such funding, which would save the jobs of the existing library staff, it has now become clear that a Community Trust would still have to be set up to be the body responsible for the management of the library and to raise any additional funds needed. Forty volunteers came forward to staff the library in the event the existing salaried staff were not retained and some of these volunteers indicated they would assist with the management. Local businessman David Ryan believed that a Library Trust could successfully run the library, generating income by extending its use at times when it is closed. He saw the library building being used for a number of other activities for local residents which could include an Internet Café and Homework Club for the children amongst other activities. Because of data protection issues he did not have access to the names of those who had volunteered their services in the Parish Council survey and so he appealed in the Spotlight for those interested in helping to contact him, but without any success. “As there has been very little response to the call for action, the idea is a non starter,” he said last weekend, “and this is likely to mean the loss of the library in its current format.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 ...>
You have probably seen us walking around Groby village, as well as Bradgate Park, Newtown Linford, Anstey, Thornton, Watermead Park etc, accompanied by our human sherpas. As Ethel puts it, ‘Someone’s got to carry the supplies.’ In 2015, we want to raise money for LOROS as we believe it provides essential care to those who most need it, including family and friends. We aim to cover 1,000 miles or more, in walks ranging from three miles up to nearly twenty. We hope that you will help us to raise money, which can be donated via our website: https://www.justgiving.com/EthelAndDoreen Three years ago, our dear friend Kate Gregory was cared for by LOROS, and we wanted to do something to try to repay them for how wonderfully they cared for her, her family and her friends. Any sponsorship, no matter how large or small, is greatly appreciated. As are dog biscuits.
Doreen & Ethel
Garden waste service to continue Green-fingered residents in Hinckley and Bosworth will be able recycle their garden waste for free for another year after councillors agreed to fund the service until March 2016. Leicestershire County Council currently pays the Borough Council around £500,000 each year in recycling credits towards CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 ...>
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