Time running out over Church Stretton library threat
Campaigners have made one final plea to Shropshire Council to abandon its controversial plan to relocate Church Stretton library – before they launch legal action.
Church Stretton Library Support Group has written to Clive Wright, the council's chief executive, urging the authority to drop plans to move the library out of the town centre.
Members say they and library users are now ready to go to court to challenge the decision to move the library to Church Stretton School in Shrewsbury Road.
The group has spent hundreds of hours talking to local residents, organising a petition, running public meetings and a drop-in session.
It says that it is confident that it is representing the majority opinion in Church Stretton that the library should stay where it is.
Felicity Thomas, spokeswoman for the support group, said: "We do not want to pursue Shropshire Council in the courts but we have exhausted every other opportunity for taking part in a meaningful democratic process that takes local residents and library users seriously and recognises that they are equal partners in decision making.
"The whole process to date has been a top-down imposition of a deeply flawed idea and the rejection of an offer by our group to work with the council, keep the library where it is and deliver a community library run by the community."
