A decision to axe vital mobile libraries which visit nursing homes, day centres and the housebound in Shrewsbury will result in a ‘massive loss’ to the community, it is claimed.
Shropshire Council’s cabinet yesterday approved recommendations to remove the Oswestry urban mobile library, Shrewsbury and Community Care mobile library serving areas including Radbrook, Springfields, Bomere Heath, Baschurch, Ruyton and Myddle.
Councillor Steve Charmley, portfolio holder for culture and leisure services, said the council was looking at ‘the best and most efficient way’ to deliver services that suits the needs of its users.
But Lucy Brumpton, manager at The Old Vicarage care home in Baschurch, told the Chronicle a vast percentage of her residents can’t access libraries and rely on the mobile service which visits the premises every month.
“It will be a massive loss,” she said.
“At present the 15 residents are able to access the mobile library from the house. They look forward to changing their books and audio CDs. We have residents with sensual impairment and a large percentage who can’t read and they borrow videos, DVDs and music. We will endeavour to take them to a normal library but our residents have mobility problems and challenging behaviours and others are on palliative care, so they can’t go out when they’re poorly.”
In a report to cabinet, it states that further extensions to the lease of the vehicles, which expires in March, are not possible. It adds that the option of purchasing the vehicles at an estimated cost of £7,500-£10,000 for each one was not felt to be cost effective given the ages and condition of the vehicles.
Cllr Charmley said: “Where current stops which meet the new criteria set out in the report are served by these vehicles, they will be taken on by one of the other vans.
“Consultation with staff has shown that the current routes can be rationalised by removing stops which are no longer used and reducing the number of stops in some areas.
“This would mean the service still has five vehicles to serve the rural areas. It is proposed that this number should be maintained subject to the need to replace vehicles being tested as leases come up for expiry.”
By Charlotte Hester