Dear Supporters of the Save Withers Community Library 

Since our last update,

-on Tuesday 20 May, during the Council Ordinary meeting, Bunbury councillors adopted the recommendations from the City Executives and agreed to allocate extra funding in the 2025-26 budget, to:

• extend the opening hours of the Withers Community library (up to 28hrs per week) and,
• reinstate some staff-facilitated programs. 

This is a positive and encouraging step towards restoring the Withers Library to pre-Covid service levels.

Subject to the approval of the 2025/26 budget, the Withers library could return to higher level of service from the end of September 2025, for a trial period of 12 months during which data on patronage will be collected and community consultation conducted.

Community members and supporters of the Save Withers Community Library Action Group attended the council meeting.

Betty McCleary, chair of the Save Withers Community Library Action Group, made a deputation in support of the recommendations.

She stated that “Libraries are a local gateway to knowledge, providing the foundation for lifelong learning, independent decision-making, cultural development, and social cohesion within a community”. 

Betty also thanked “the City Management Karin and Georgia-Mae and their staff for their diligence and dedication to the work at hand.” adding that it was “very evident Management have put in many hours researching and planning the best way forward for the success of the working future of the library for the community”.

Mayor Jaysen Miguel mentioned that “there will some work in the next few months to deliver more of that community consultation” and “was looking forward to those conversations to continue”.

To view the decision taken, go to page 36, here: https://cdn.bunbury.wa.gov.au/.../OCM-Unconfirmed-Minutes..., item 10.8, Operational Review Report – Withers Community Library (was listed as 10.3.4 in the agenda).

The replay of this council meeting is available here: (scroll down to 24 min30s from the start - or 17h40 on the time stamp - to watch the section on item 10.3.4.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6913-rcD5n8

To be kept informed about our actions and progress, you can 

 - Follow our Facebook page: Save Withers Community Library, or

- join the SAVE WITHERS COMMUNITY LIBRARY ACTION GROUP | on Facebook

We look forward to seeing you at some of these upcoming events.

Thank you again for your support,

The Save Withers Community Library Action Group.