Bumper library protest sees campaigners turned away

A bumper campaign by a Devon community to show its support for the town library was so full it meant some had to be turned away.

Local ward member Councillor Charlotte FitzGerald (Liberal Democrat, Budleigh and Raleigh) organised an event at Budleigh Salterton Public Hall to discuss the future of the town’s library.
All of Devon’s 50 libraries are subject to an ongoing consultation about their future, with the public asked for their views on the service and for opinions about potential options for the future.
The potential outcome is that some libraries are either closed or subject to reduced hours in a bid to save costs, but many communities are coming out in force to protect their current library service.
In Budleigh, the turnout at the local hall was so huge that some members of the public had to be turned away because there wasn’t room inside for them.
The event was attended by Devon County Council member Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, the cabinet member for rural affairs, which includes libraries.
Cllr Cottle-Hunkin said she wanted to get an understanding of what the proposals would mean for the local area of Budleigh Salterton and surrounding districts.
In a workshop style, attendees answered questions about the impact of proposed hours cuts, staffing reductions and unstaffed libraries.
Also in attendance was Steve Hitchcock, headteacher of St Peter’s C of E Primary School in the town.
“I’ve come along with some children from my school today to show our support for the library service and to give them a chance to share their views,” he said.
“Reading is, needless to say, a crucial part of children’s education, and developing vocabulary is an important marker for lifelong achievement.”
Geoff Woodman, a member of Budleigh Library Friends, said the library had sent 400 completed copies of the consultation to the county council.
“The support shown for the library during this consultation has been tremendous,” he added.
The proposal for Budleigh Library is to reduce it from 27 hours now to 15 and close on Fridays, which would mean it would lose the bounce & rhyme children’s session, which resident Max Newing, who lives in nearby Knowle, said was an important fixture for local parents.
“I bring my children to these sessions every week in the excellent children’s section,” Newing said.
“Bounce & Rhyme has been going for years, it’s an institution. Often I take the children into town for a drink and snack with other families afterwards, or we go to the shops on the high street.”
Cllr FitzGerald said she had wanted to “bring people together” to show the county council the strength of feeling about the library.
“I’m doing this because my library is the hub in our community and I know others across the district share this view about their libraries,” she said.
“We wanted to have this meeting in a ‘conversation café’ style, which is the best way to surface as many views as possible, including from quieter but equally passionate members of the community.
“In this way, we are able to capture everyone’s contributions and provide a really rich level of detail and feedback to the county council.”
Cllr Cottle-Hunkin said she had been “grateful for the opportunity to talk to library users” in the town.
“A couple of years ago, before becoming a county councillor, I led the campaign to save the mobile libraries here in Devon.
“I am passionate about our county’s library services, and am dedicated to finding a positive way forward, working together with individual communities to make sure their libraries are sustainable into the future.
“As I reminded attendees at Budleigh, this is a consultation, and all the feedback will be used to help shape the service in the future.
“We’ve already received 10,000 responses and it’s so important that as many people as possible engage in the formal consultation, whether you are a library user or not at present – you might well be in the future.”
The consultation – Shaping the future of Devon’s library service, runs until 23 February. Residents can respond online or fill in forms at their local library.