Cllr Nigel Ashton spoke at the recent meeting of Southport Area Committee to urge fellow Southport councillors to reject Sefton's proposed library closure plan.
Speaking to a report that he had prepared jointly with Cllr Haydn Preece of Ainsdale and Cllr Iain Brodie Browne of Birkdale, Nigel Ashton explained how over 90% of people in Meols Ward would be more than two miles from a library if the closures went ahead.
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| Library campaigner Cllr Nigel Ashton |
Here is what Cllr Nigel Ashton told the Southport Area
Committee:
"Thank you Chair. I want to speak specifically about
Churchtown Library, but I'm not playing one community off against another. It
is vital to keep the whole branch library network open.
"Our report shows how many people would live more than
two miles from a library if Option B goes through and Churchtown Library is
closed. Just within my ward, Meols ward (Churchtown, Crossens and part of
Marshside) 11,500 people would be more than two miles from a library.
"That means 90% of people in the northern end of
Southport more than two miles from a library - that is not a 'comprehensive and
efficient' library service, and it's certainly not acceptable.
"What sort of people use Churchtown Library – well, all
sorts of people, obviously. But two groups in particular are most important –
children and the elderly.
"Churchtown Primary School is the 7th largest primary
school in the country, with a current school roll of 891 pupils. The school has
close ties with the library and classes are often taken on visits to the
library. Older children use the library to learn about a wide variety of
topics.
"Churchtown also has a high elderly population and for
these elderly library users it is more than just a place to borrow books, it's
a place where they go to meet others. For many it is a highlight of their week
to go there.
"And the library is not just about lending books,
whether standard print, large print, or talking books on tape or CD. The
library also lends DVDs, has Internet access, newspapers and magazines for
adults and teenagers, quick-reference and local history sections, and lifelong
learning opportunities.
"Internet access is becoming a vital role for branch
libraries, as more and more official services are accessed online, and
increasingly are only accessible online.
"I wholeheartedly urge all councillors on the Southport
Area Committee to support the recommendation that Sefton Cabinet reverse its
proposal to close Ainsdale, Birkdale and Churchtown Libraries."
