Action group formed to safeguard Ellesmere Library

The newly-formed Friends of Ellesmere Library group has promised to fight for "firm guarantees" that a library service will be retained in the town and will continue to be run by professionally trained staff.

Shropshire Council has announced it is looking at alternative ways to run Ellesmere Library and invited residents and organisations to put forward ideas for the future at an open afternoon yesterday.

One of the proposals is to move the library to the nearby Meres Day Centre, and details were on show at yesterday's drop-in session.

According to Shropshire Council, user numbers at the library have fallen from 25,275 in 2010/11 to 23,853 in 2014/15. The library now has fewer than 500 users a week and a total of 998 active borrowers.

Talks are taking place in towns across the county – including Church Stretton, Albrighton and Gobowen – over the future of local library services as Shropshire Council looks to save £1.3 million.

Two groups – Ellesmere Library Reading Group and the Ellesmere Library Volunteers – have come together to form the new action group.

John Shone, group spokesman, said: "We have joined forces to try to ensure that our library services are safeguarded and enhanced. That's why we are holding a meeting to launch a Friends of Ellesmere Library group.

"We know the council is keen to save money by selling off the library building, moving the books, computers, DVDs and CDs into the day care centre and bringing in a social care organisation to manage the facility.

"We're being told this will enable the library to thrive as well as providing an 'inclusive adult social care and community hub development'. But many people have serious reservations about the feasibility and practicalities of this project and we want firm guarantees that the library service will continue to be run by professionally trained staff.

"More than that, we want to see the library developed with more people involved, especially children, because this is an important part of their future."

The event yesterday saw the library packed with users to find out more about possible proposals.

Neil Willcox, locality commissioning manager for Shropshire Council, said: "At the moment no conclusions have been made but we do know that we need to do things differently and at a lower cost. This is about exploring ideas and options. We want there to be a library that works and is even better for the local community."

Teresa Eccleston, area manager for north Shropshire libraries said: "This is an opportunity to see organisations and get ideas from people." She said once proposals had been drawn up they would go to public consultation.

Friends of Ellesmere Library will meet at Ellesmere Town Hall on September 8 at 7pm.