Campaign launched to save library from council cuts

The move is part of a wider £400k cost cutting proposal

A campaign has been launched to save a community library from council cost cuts.

Redcar and Cleveland Council have proposed turning Laburnum Road Community Library into a community-run centre from April.

The move is part of a wider £400k cost cutting proposal which would affect several libraries in the region.

One campaigner said that the closure of Laburnum Road’s library would be a “disaster for the community”.

Paul White, the chair of the Friends of Laburnum Library group, has launched a petition to gather support against the move by the local authority.

“The library’s an easy target,” he said.

“We’ve got to fight tooth and nail to keep what we’ve already got and spend many, many hours hoping to go against the proposals.”

The library is regularly staffed by volunteers who run events like weekly coffee mornings where people can socialise.

“We had a lady come in on Friday morning, she thanked us so much for putting the flyer through [detailing the coffee morning],” he said.

By the end of the coffee social, the woman, who had been going through a difficult period recently, had signed up to a knitting group at the library also, he said.

“That could not happen anywhere but in a public library,” said Mr White.

He said volunteers are putting thousands of pounds worth of value into the library for free each month.

“In essence, it won’t cost a fraction of the £400k that libraries have to save to keep funding Laburnum Road library,” he said.

Councillors are expected to discuss the library cut proposals in a meeting on 19 March.

Redcar and Cleveland Council have been approached for comment.