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Library axed in money-saving bid
A LIBRARY has been axed and another is to be merged with a community centre as a council tries to save money.
Hartlepool Borough Council's cabinet has made the "tough" decision to close Foggy Furze Library, in Stockton Road, to save 47,536 a year.
Throston Grange Library will also be merged with the nearby Throston Community Centre to save 30,877.
The opening hours of all the town's libraries will be shortened and the Central Library, in York Road, will shut on Sundays and from 2pm on Saturdays, saving the council an extra 56,360.
The recommendations were proposed by the libraries and community resources team, which needs to make overall budget savings of 156,750.
It comes as the council undergoes a business transformation programme over the next four years.
Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond said: "It is inevitable that with the cuts and with technology changing that these decisions have to be made.
"This really shows the true effect of Government cuts."
Hartlepool has the main Central Library plus branch libraries at Owton Manor, Foggy Furze, Seaton Carew, Throston Grange, West View and on the Headland.
Foggy Furze is based inside a Victorian building, which was not designed for a library, and officers say it has potential commercial value.
Officers considered a range of options including creating a public-private partnership, a joint service across authorities and a third-sector partnership.
But the decision was made to close the service with the following restructure seeing the loss of two full-time and one part-time positions, with redundancy costs between 30,000 and 85,000.
John Mennear, the council's assistant director of community services, said savings had to be made somewhere and officers have looked to save as many services as possible.
He added: "Throston Grange Library is well used, but the community centre isn't.
"The idea is to combine the two into one building and create a new service as it will change how the library and the centre work.
"The upshot of all of this is to protect as many services as we can."
The remaining libraries will open at 10am instead of 9.30am and close at 6pm rather than 7pm.
Half-day openings in branch libraries will stop and be replaced by all day closures.
The library team also hope to make 22,500 worth of efficiency savings.
To lessen the impact on residents, officers plan to increase investment in out-reach services and improve online library access.
Independent Elwick councillor Hilary Thompson, portfolio holder for culture, leisure and tourism, said: "Literacy skills are one of the major things that keep people out of poverty and in employment.
"Everything we have done here has been done as sympathetically as possible."
A timetable for the planned changes has not yet been announced.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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