Shropshire Star

Document against Church Stretton Library move submitted to council

Campaigners have handed over a 37-page document to Shropshire Council stating why a town's library should stay where it is – and asking for 12 months to show it can work.

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Church Stretton Library could be run by a charitable trust or not-for-profit Community Interest Company, and still deliver the budget cuts Shropshire Council needs to make, Church Stretton Library Support Group claims.

The document has been submitted as a second round of consultation on the future of the library draws to a close.

Shropshire Council is proposing to close the library in Church Street and move it out of the town centre to be run at Church Stretton School in Shrewsbury Road.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council cabinet member for leisure and culture, said the response, which campaigners say is the result of four months of research and follows a 1,100-signature petition that was presented at a full meeting of Shropshire Council last month, will now be put together with more than 300 other formal submissions.

Felicity Thomas, speaking for campaigners, said the document focuses on multiple "areas of weakness and poorly specified plans" to do with the relocation, including accessibility issues, staffing, safeguarding school children, transport issues and the impact losing the library would have on the town centre among other things.

Mr Charmley said there was no date as of yet as to when a decision might be made.

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