An excellent article from Crediton Courier highlighting a special meeting about the library closures led by Coldridge Parish Councillor John Smith.
Hundreds of small communities will be hugely impacted by the planned closures of the mobile libraries, right across the whole of Devon.
The meeting raised some excellent questions for Devon County Council:
“What contingency plans have been made in the past and what reserves have been set aside to replace the vans?
“Has DCC followed normal transport industry procedures and planned to replace one vehicle every three years, thus ensuring the fleet of four vans is replaced every 12 years, and no vehicle is more than 12 years old?
“Could DCC seek sponsorship for these, suggestions include a major bookseller such as Waterstones, or the firms who service the vans?“Are second hand vans available for DCC to purchase?
“Has DCC looked at how Cornwall has made the vans multi-functional?
“What is the cost of staff?
“What will the cost be of making these redundant?“
If you’re a parish councillor and you’re reading this, please bring it up with your parish clerk and mention it at your next parish council meeting. Would your parish council be willing to send a letter to Devon County asking them to rethink their decision to close the mobile libraries? If yes, please let me know so we can publicise it! cheryl_lavinia@icloud.com