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Donington people in bid to save library

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People who use or support Donington Library are being asked to turn out to a public meeting to see what can be done to save it.

The village library is among 32 that the county council is trying to palm off into private hands.

Unless volunteers or a company step in to run it, the High Street library will be closed and the village will be left with a mobile library service.

District councillor Jane King said: “The last thing Donington needs is another empty building.”

There are already four major buildings standing empty nearby, including the Red Cow, which Coun King described as “derelict and horrendous”.

The public meeting at The Ruby Hunt Centre will be open to residents of Donington, Quadring and Gosberton as well as other library users who travel in from villages like Bicker.

It takes place on Friday, August 30 at 6pm.

Coun King said the library plays a key role in village life and it’s not solely there for people who borrow books.

She said: “There’s a police surgery runs out of there – a PCSO police surgery is held monthly – and I was looking at having a council surgery there.

“The computers are well used and these days, with people not being able to afford their own computers and laptops, it’s a lifeline for people who are looking for work.”

Coun King said the library is also home to a mother and toddler reading group and plays a valuable role during the summer holidays in encouraging children to read a series of books and they get a certificate as an incentive.

The Independent councillor has criticised the county council’s consultation process after a meeting was held in Spalding at 2pm on a Monday when most people were at work.

She said that meeting was “hijacked” by protestors from The Deepings – and while they have the right to protest, she wants Donington’s voice to be heard too and has set up a meeting just for the users and supporters of Donington library.

She’s fixed the meeting at the Ruby Hunt Centre for 6pm – so more people have a chance to attend – and the county council’s executive member for libraries, Nick Worth, will be there.

It’s also likely a senior county council officer will attend.

Lincolnshire County Council aims to save £2million by shifting the 32 libraries into private hands – leaving just 15 on its own books, including Spalding.

Lincolnshire Cooperative announced last week it was offering to run six of them, but none of those are in South Holland.

Twenty-one communities have so far come forward to run their local libraries.

Coun Worth said identities of groups in some areas are confidential, such as in Holbeach where there has been an expression of interest.

The council is talking to the Church in Crowland about the running of its library and a meeting has been set up in Pinchbeck.

Sutton Bridge already has a highly successful volunteer run library, but Coun Worth revealed the village had put in an expression of interest to make sure it can keep what it’s already got.

Deepings campaigners hope to persuade the county council to keep running the Market Deeping library.


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