Anyone wishing to comment on the council's budget proposals should do so by 20th December 2013, by:
- post to - Budget 2014, Freepost Our City (no stamp needed)
- email to budget2014@stoke.gov.uk
- web site at
Councillors
Peter Hayward and Terry Follows introduced the topic.
Dr
Rowena Blencowe, head teacher at Trentham High, was
introduced. She had provided the venue and said that school
governors had decided there would be no charge for use of the school
facilities for residents' meetings.
Marilyn
Vigars had produced a Powerpoint presentation detailing key
facts.
Ann
and Maureen distributed sign-in sheets for those present.
67
residents attended the meeting! 10 had sent apologies for absence.
Cllr
Hayward presented the Powerpoint.
Due to
council cuts Trentham library is under medium threat of closure.
The
library is not just a hut, it is a freely accessible community asset.
As a library, it of course lends books, but is more than that; there
are toddler classes, story time sessions and silver surfers. The
rumour in the council is that library services will be centralised in
Hanley with books distributed out to other areas.
Trentham
library is one of the most used in the city for its size. The annual
running costs are £3,000 for the building and £24,000 for staffing.
There is a real and sustained threat of closure if nothing is done.
A
resident asked why the hours couldn't be cut instead of closing the
library?
Cllr
Hayward said the council does want comments and alternative
suggestions and in discussions so far it seems they may be willing to
provide librarians and database access if they can get rid of the
building.
There
is a 20th December 2013 deadline for
the council to decide cuts to the library service so that is also the
deadline for asset rationalisation and a business plan. £3,000
would need to be raised but this could be done over a few years.
Cllr Hayward said if this can be done, then the community would have
the existing building and may also be able to raise money to add
extra space to the building for community use.
A
resident pointed out that we are rate payers so aren't we entitled to
the library?
Cllr
Hayward explained that the council are only obliged to provide a
library service but this could be centralised in Hanley.
A
resident asked if Trentham library could be relocated to the
children's centre in Hanford?
Cllr
Hayward said that the council had planned to close children's centres
but didn't because the government would in that case claw back funds.
There are considerable parking problems at the children's centre.
A
resident asked if Trentham library could be relocated to Trentham
High School?
Cllr
Hayward said that would depend on ongoing support from the head and
governors and parking would need to be considered.
There
was a discussion of cutting the library hours, this can save a bit on
staffing costs but not too much as there has to be two staff.
A
resident reported that in the 1980s the library only opened on
Tuesdays and Fridays, 3-7pm and was a third of the current size but
was still very well used.
Cllr
Hayward said in defence of the council, in other areas of the country
other solutions such as asset transfer to communities were being used
and our council is doing the same.
A
resident asked, given that we are rate payers and the library is
already 'ours' why do we have to buy it again?
Cllr
Follows outlined 3 different options:
- Keep the library where it is.
- Sell 2 building plots from the grassed area by the library and use the money to keep the library going for a while.
- Move the library to Trentham High and sell 5 building plots from that site, using the money to keep the library going longer. The head is agreeable provided there is no cost to the school.
Cllr
Hayward was keen to start asset transfer to the community on account
of the short deadline.
A
resident commented that the council plans do not make financial sense
because to centralise the library and send out ordered books, the
costs must be astronomical.
A
resident said things should be left as they are. Although government
has reduced funding for councils, our council has no justification to
close Trentham library in order to make a very small saving when he said millions of pounds are being spent on
Ingestre Square, the public sector and new build.
Cllr
Follows said the council think we don't need things in Trentham
because they view us as having big houses and several cars.
A
resident asked why the council can't bring in money from the massive
debts owed to them in council tax and rent arrears?
Cllr
Hayward pointed out that although he and Cllr Follows are in
political opposition in the council, he admits that debt collection
rates are improving.
Cllr
Hayward suggested we should put forward a proposal for Trentham
library that the council would be embarrassed to refuse.
A
resident said a pragmatic solution is needed to force the council
into a corner. He suggested the council be asked to grant ownership
of the entire library plot to the community so some could then be
sold to run the library for ~10 years. This could be 'too difficult'
for the council, in which case they can leave the library as it is.
Cllr
Follows said he had already suggested this to the council but has not
received a response as yet.
A
resident, drawing on experience from her work, said that Hanford and
Trentham has the least number of activity groups for older people in
the city.
A
resident suggested that as the data show that 33,000 books are
borrowed from Trentham library each year, if each person paid 10p per
book, the £3,000 would easily be raised.
Cllrs
Follows and Hayward said that given the huge turnout at this meeting
we can surely keep Trentham library and keep it on its current site.
What is needed is a working group of 4-5 people for ~12 months to
arrange asset transfer. Cllr Hayward said there will be more and
more cuts year on year so it is best to take the library into
community ownership in order to keep it.
A
resident asked how the council manage to waste so much money?
A
resident said there are 30 'clowns' – Labour councillors, agreeing
to every cut. He wants the lot out. We have two good independent
councillors fighting them who will always be outvoted.
Cllr
Hayward said that a business plan for asset transfer does not
generally have to go to a council vote, if it did we would be in dire
straits.
Cllr
Follows said the council have experience of Trentham residents and
how much they are capable of fighting, because we fought to save
Trentham High School and won.
Cllr
Hayward said Trentham is not seen as a 'soft touch'.
A
resident asked how we can present our plans to the council by 20th
December?
Cllr
Hayward said we need ~6 residents to help with the plan, especially
those with business experience. Cllr Hayward said he can then
collate a general package by 20th December. Then there
can be more meetings to sort out the details.
A
resident said it is important to initiate a plan in order to avoid
falling under the 'savings' for this year's budget.
A
resident said the solution seems to be to have residents volunteer to
maintain the building, rather than volunteer in the library, as the
council would provide the staff.
A
resident said there are sources of grant money that can be obtained.
A
resident asked for the land to be kept as well as the building.
A
resident said the older generation could have difficulty going to a
library elsewhere. He didn't think the council motivation in closing
Trentham library is to save money, he thought they want to make money
by selling the land.
A
resident said very young children use the library as well and like to
browse physical books rather than just view them on the computer.
Cllr
Hayward said a local girl had used the library and won a prize for a
Christmas card design.
A
resident said we have skills, ability and a good mix of people in our
area, so have the power to save the library.
Cllr
Follows said if we can't keep the library where it is, It has been
agreed it can come to Trentham High School. The head said they only
have a very small library.
A
resident said the library needs both books and computers.
A
resident said that some people use the computers at the library to
develop their skills.
A
resident was concerned that although the current head is agreeable to
the library being in the school, without any offence, the situation
may change some years later.
A
resident said Trentham library is our last community building and we
need to keep it.
Cllr
Hayward said that only 40% of people communicate with the council via
computer.
A
resident said that the value of the library to the community, from
toddlers to life long learning, should be mentioned in the business
plan.
Ann
would take a note of residents willing to help with the business
plan. Cllrs Follows and Hayward assured residents that they would
lead the plan and liaise with the council but the substance of it
needs to come from the community.
A
resident said that the library staff had told him it was 'done and
dusted' that Trentham library would close.
Cllrs
Hayward and Follows said it certainly wasn't a done deal. They also
said that amongst the libraries in the city, Trentham has only medium
threat because the saving would be such a small amount.
A
resident asked for publicity in The Sentinel.
A
resident said if we have a good community facility we can put on more
events for older people.
A
resident said there are always people using the 3 computers in the
library and that David Cameron wants everyone to have computer access
and skills. The library could be expanded to help this and we should
certainly make the point that computer access should not be cut off.
A
resident said other areas have good facilities and there are funding
sources we could use.
A
resident referred to reports on the elderly and an emphasis on
loneliness, the library is really helpful to combat this.
Cllr
Hayward said the top two reasons why people like Trentham library are
the parking available and the friendliness of the staff.
Cllr
Hayward encouraged people to submit letters to the council for their
budget consultation, protesting any planned closure of Trentham
library. Last year there were only ~800 letters from the whole city,
so a large number from Trentham would be helpful.
Two
types of volunteers were requested:
- business plan working party
- ongoing library volunteers maybe needed in the future.
It
was unanimously agreed that the business plan should focus on keeping
the library building on its current site.
When asked how people had
found out about the meeting, very many had found out from the poster
in Trentham library!
A vote of thanks was
given to Marilyn Vigars for producing the posters and Powerpoint
presentation.
13
people volunteered for the business plan working party and there were
plenty of ongoing volunteers also.
The meeting closed at 8.30pm.
Michelle Chow
from The
Sentinel talked
to residents after the meeting.