Borough of Poole mobile library service to be closed

The mobile library service costs £49,000 per year and a new vehicle will cost about £100,000

The decision to axe a mobile library in the Borough of Poole will have a "devastating" effect on local people, it has been claimed.

The council has voted to cut the service to save £49,000 and replace it with community-led facilities.

It is part of a bid to save £100,000 on public libraries in the next year.

But Lib Dem councillor David Brown said the council had ignored a consultation that showed 90 per cent of people wanted to keep the service.

He said: "Some people have been using the service for 40 years and their children have grown up and learned to read from books from the mobile library.

"They said it would have a devastating effect and they wouldn't be able to access public library services without it."

'Better service'

The council said there has been a decline in people using the service, which now accounts for only 2% of total library use, and a new bus costing £100,000 would soon be required.

Conservative council leader Janet Walton said community libraries in schools and community centres would be set up to offer "a much better service".

She said: "We're in very difficult financial circumstances and actually everything's on the table and we have to look at everything.

"But in this case if we can offer something better with the policy of the community libraries then that's a win-win situation for us."

Mr Brown said the library service is set to be withdrawn by the end of the year.