Cambridge City Councillors are seeking assurances that county Conservatives will not close libraries. Liberal Democrat city councillors put down a motion at a meeting of Cambridge City Council on Thursday (Thursday, October 21) demanding that Cambridgeshire County Council rule out closures in the libraries review.

Now city council Leader Sian Reid will write to Cambridgeshire County Council Leader, Jill Tuck urging her to give assurances that libraries are safe.

The motion was proposed by Cllr Mike Pitt and seconded by Labour Cllr Lucy Walker:

This Council applauds the role the Library Network plays in the social cohesion, educational development, life-long learning and well-being of Cambridge City Residents and indeed residents across the county. This Council regrets that the County Council Cabinet has to date failed to rule out library closures, which would be irreversible, and requests that the leader of this Council writes to the leader of the County Council to seek assurance that necessary savings will be sought through other means. 

I spoke in the debate on the importance of the local community of Rock Road Library, which provides much more than access to books, vital though they are: information, Internet facilities, children’s activities and a range of social activities via the Friends of Rock Road Library.

The councillor who opened the library back in 1935 said, ‘I hope that in the days to come, this building  will become more and more the intellectual home of the people who live round it.’ It is just as important now, as there are many people who cannot travel to the library in the city centre easily.

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