One councillor said they were there to listen to what the public had to say
Protestors outside Wallasey Town Hall against cuts to library services. (Image: Copyright Unknown)
No Wirral libraries will close following a major decision by councillors rejecting plans to cut services. Top councillors in both Labour and the Conservatives promised to never again make cuts to the library service as part of the budget.
At a tourism, communities, culture, and leisure meeting on September 18, Wirral councillors had been asked to agree to only keep eight of Wirral’s council-run libraries open. Six others in Greasby, Rock Ferry, Beechwood, Leasowe, Seacombe, and St James faced potential closure.
Following protests outside the town hall and widespread opposition to the proposals, councillors unanimously agreed to throw out the plans to cheers from those in attendance. Wirral Council leader Cllr Paula Basnett, who became leader after the cuts were announced, said: “This should never have been an agenda item. It should never have got to this meeting.”
She added under her leadership, the council would never again propose closing libraries. This was echoed by Conservative councillor Ian Lewis, who chairs the committee, who also thanked the public for telling the council what was and wasn’t working in the service at the moment.
Councillors in their decision thanked those who had campaigned against the cuts and asked senior councillors on the council’s Policy and Resources committee to consider how library services will be run as community hubs going forward.
Officers have also been tasked with making sure the doors of all six libraries that had been threatened with closure remain open.
Earlier this year, a £250,000 cut was unanimously agreed as part of the local authority’s budget over the next two years. Now the local authority will have to find this money in order to balance the books going forward.
Before the debate kicked off, councillors heard from colleagues, campaigners, and worried parents. One woman, who is terminally ill, told how Greasby library had been somewhere she was able to get help and how the library “should be encouraged, not annihilated.”
Charlotte Hesketh, who spoke with her daughter Emi, said Greasby was the first place she felt welcomed when she moved to the area, describing it as a sanctuary for her. She said she would not be able to afford to travel elsewhere, telling councillors: “If Greasby library goes, we are going to have to scrounge and beg for books.”
Other members of the public criticised what they saw as wasteful spending by the local authority while campaigner Phil Simpson argued the council could find money elsewhere. The strong opposition clearly resonated with councillors who quickly made clear they didn’t support the closures.
Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Carubia said libraries were one of the few areas of the council that was still face to face while Bromborough Green councillor Ruth Molyneux talked about the impact the closure of the civic centre in her area had had on the community there.
Conservative councillor Jenny Johnson said libraries “are the lifeblood of communities,” adding: “We are responsive as councillors and we are here to listen to your views.”
Labour councillor Ann Ainsworth said it was no surprise usage drops when libraries close, adding her party “refuse to engage in the managed decline of libraries.”
Councillors also unanimously agreed to reopen Irby library after a long campaign by the area’s Labour councillors. The library closed in 2022 but is expected to be run by Pioneer People going forward, the charity which took over Pensby Library.
Questions were raised by Cllr Johnson over whether funds being handed over to the charity were necessary. However Cllr Basnett pointed out the building had been closed for three years, needed extensive work, and the money would ensure the library’s success.