Bid to save branch libraries stepped up.COMMUNITIES fighting library closures in Northumberland last night stepped up their campaign with proposals to take over the services themselves. Branches in Corbridge, Ellington, Kielder, Haydon Bridge Haydon Bridge is a small village in Northumberland in England, with a population of around 2000 people. Its most distinctive features are its two bridges, both crossing the River Tyne, one the picturesque original bridge for which the village was named, now restricted to pedestrian , Lynemouth, Seaton Sluice Coordinates: Seaton Sluice is a village in Northumberland. It lies on the coast at the mouth of the Seaton Burn, midway between Whitley Bay and Blyth. It has a population of about 4000 people. , Had-ston, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Wylam and at Cowpen, News-ham and South Beach in Blyth are at risk following a county council review of the service. And last night parish council leaders from Haydon Bridge, Corbridge and Kielder, told a special meeting of Tynedale Council's community, health and culture committee in Hex-ham, that they propose to run the service using volunteers from the community. In each case the county council will continue to provide things such as the stock but will no longer pay the running cost or provide staff. The three communities will now have to put together a feasibility study "A Feasibility Study" is an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 13 April, 1964, during the first season. It was remade in 1997 as part of the revived The Outer Limits series with a minor title change. to look at ways of generating income to help with the running costs running costs npl [of business] → gastos mpl corrientes [of car] → gastos mpl de mantenimiento running costs npl [of business , such as encouraging community groups into the building who would be charged rent. Eileen Charlton, of Haydon Bridge Parish Council, said: "We don't want to lose our library and we quickly realised that if we didn't do something then we might." Barry Noble, chairman of Kielder Parish Council, said: "We are the most outlying community in the county and the library is a very important service to our residents and we will be working hard to ensure that it is not lost." In Corbridge more than 1,500 signatures have been collected in support of keeping the service and last night the parish council chairman Bill Grigg said he thought the council would be able to take on the library. However, it is a different picture in Wylam. The parish council already runs a community building at a cost of pounds 18,000 a year and last night chairman Brian Japes said he thought it would be unlikely the council could take on the running of another building. "Our community wishes to retain the facility as it is and we feel that any alternatives would not be a service at all. If we have to we will look at taking it on but I think it will be very difficult." Comment: Page 10 |
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