Lend a book, lend a hand

Lend a book, lend a hand

Putting their stamp on local services: Cllrs Ready and Conway are promoting their local library. “We need to get the community into Aspull library and supporting its facilities,” says Cllr Chris Ready.

As the cabinet member responsible for leisure and culture, Cllr Ready is keen to see residents getting even more closely involved in the facilities provided for them by Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust and council.

“Libraries should be the hub of our towns and villages,” he adds, “Internet access, DVDs, reading sessions for children and of course, thousands of books offering learning, leisure and enjoyment. But everyone needs to use their library and, if you can, lend a hand when we lend you a book.”

The council’s ruling cabinet recently heard details of the need to reduce the library budget by £1.1m following government cuts. Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s proposals to ensure the service remains accessible across the borough includes changes to some locations and opening hours, using a retail tiering method familiar to the big supermarkets.

And it also means the council are on the lookout for more people to volunteer and help out.

Cllr Ready and Aspull ward councillor colleague Ron Conway this week joined library co-ordinator Kim Collins at Aspull Library to find out about how people can get involved.

Cllr Ready says: “People feel rightly passionate about their libraries so we have worked very hard and listened very closely to what library users had to say. Now we have innovative plans to ensure they stay accessible to everyone.”

Under changes planned, the two town centre libraries will operate the longest opening hours and the broadest range of products and services. They will open between 50 and 55 hours per week. In the smaller town centres, libraries will offer a broad range of book stock, information and activities. Many of these will be co-located with or host other services. They will open 35 to 40 hours per week. In urban areas, a ‘Libraries Express’ service will deliver core services such as books and computers. These will be self service and delivered in partnership with other public or community services. They will open for a minimum of 18 hours per week.

Cllr Conway adds: “We need to reach out to more people. If you can spare some time and get involved, Aspull Library would really welcome your support.”