REDDITCH LIBRARY DEMOLITION UPDATE
Redditch Labour are still working to hold the Conservative Party and the Town Deal Board to account over the proposed demolition of Redditch Library.
Several mistruths are being circulated by Cllr Dormer and the Conservative group.
MYTH BUSTERS
1. The library is in a bad state of repair?
We asked WCC in a freedom of information request and they confirmed there was no need for any major repairs. The current scaffold is for some minor cosmetic work to the concrete windowsills.
2. Earlier this year Cllr Dormer said "Footfall into Redditch Library has halved and shows no sign of getting back to its pre-pandemic levels.”
But a Freedom of Information request showed that footfall has risen every single month this year, reaching nearly 12,500 in July.
3. The Town hall has been put forward as a preferred relocation. The Conservatives claim that a new library will lose none of its services if this happens, but the current library occupies a space 7 times larger than space available at the Town Hall.
4. The other Town Deal projects are predicted to overspend by around £3million. There is £4m allocated to demolish the library but no budget for relocation. It is incredibly likely that more funding needs to found.
The final business case is due on 30th September having been delayed several times.
5. The plans are top secret. Conservative councillors -and candidates - claim to have seen them and tell us they are amazing. But there is absolute refusal to show these plans to the public. The Town Deal Board minutes are scanty and contain no information.
6. Cllr Dormer says the plans just need rubber stamping. Library services are a statutory obligation and must be subject to public consultation when any changes are made. Consultation needs to occur before plans are approved.
On September 1st voters from Headless Cross and Oakenshaw [Redditch Borough Council] and ]Arrow Valley West] Abbey, Greenlands and Lodge Park will have a chance to vote in the upcoming By-Elections - please use your By-Election vote to tell Cllr Dormer that you support Redditch Labour and their stance on the library.
A link to our Candidates and Manifesto