Campaigners call for people to save Pangbourne library

The

reported in November that the conservative controlled council was looking to plug a £17m shortfall over the next three years, owing to a reduction in central Government funding.
Among the proposed cuts to frontline services, including road safety, theatres, public transport and conveniences, Pangbourne library is facing a potential 40 per cent cut to its opening hours, from 27 to 16, as the district council seeks to save £11m over the next two years, including £5m of savings for the financial year 2014/15.
Council figures state that 27,700 people visited the library in 2012, with 32,777 items loaned and the Save Pangbourne Library group is hoping that library users, villagers and others can bring people power to the council.
Save Pangbourne Library campaigner Antoinette Earl said that the group had collected more than 600 signatures in 10 hours of campaigning, with more than 400 names from Pangbourne, more than 150 from Purley and the remainder from Upper Basildon, Goring and Whitchurch.
She said that the group was looking to trigger a debate about the library when the district council’s budget is presented at a full council meeting on March 4 but to do this they need 500 signatures from two wards, although the council had initially said that 5,000 would be needed.
Mrs Earl said she had been taken aback by how much anger there was about the proposed cuts.
She said: “It’s a universal service and we don’t get many services in Pangbourne anyway and we feel we are being hit by unfair cuts even though we are classed as a rural service village.
“It’s not just about mums and families using the library, it helps social isolation for older people, provides groups for children and people know that they will get support and help from librarians. If you care about what is a vital community service sign the petition.”
The council will publish a formal budget proposal in the week beginning February 3 and will be put towards the council’s executive committee on February 13.
A meeting has been called by the district councillor Pamela Bale and The MP for Reading West, Alok Sharma, on Friday, January 31 at the Dorman Rooms in Pangbourne at 6.30pm.