Great debate

Letters over several weeks have expressed very eloquently the place libraries hold in the lives of many Warrington residents, both as memories of earlier visits and as community resources still very relevant despite the rapid rise of the internet.

I attended a presentation by LiveWire and have written several emails of objection.

The emails went to Steven Broomhead, to the LiveWire consultation, to the managing director Emma Hutchinson and to Cllr Tony Higgins.

It is interesting to note that I have received a courteous reply from Prof Broomhead but not even a computer generated acknowledgement from any of the other recipients. The plans focus closely on book issues but does not take account of wider library functions such as in education and as a centre for the community.

They do not seem to be in conformity with the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act.

This requires a library service to be comprehensive and efficient and free to users.

Plans which cut out large parts of the borough from any static library site surely cannot be said to be ‘comprehensive’ – while the book lockers are not free.

Anyone without computer access will be unable to access them.

Another failing of the plans is that they do not exploit the history of Warrington as the first rate supported public lending library in the country.

Ironically it was set up as a department of the museum in 1848 under the 1845 Museums Act, a position LiveWire plans seem intent upon reinstating.

I would have no objection to relocating the lending function to a more central site.

We tried for many years to do that very thing arguing that the issues would be bound to rise if the library had a more central location.

However to relegate it to an empty shop unit in Golden Square was not what we had in mind.

As I remarked to Cllr Higgins, it should have been possible to incorporate a new and more fitting library building into the £107 million Bridge Street redevelopment plans.

ALBERT HARTLEY Fearnhead