Consultation on Proposals for Evington Library
A consultation meeting was held by the City Council at Evington Library on Tuesday 10th of June 2025 to discuss the future of our community library. The meeting was led by Councillor Vi Dempster, Assistant City Mayor Health, Culture, Libraries and Community Centres, supported by Council Officer Lee Warner.
The Council recognises libraries play an important role in our local neighbourhoods as they “promote health and wellbeing, bring communities together and provide places for people to meet…..help residents with books and reading and with study and learning……support people to access information and digital services and provide cultural events and creative activities for children and adults.
It is however recognised that the way we use libraries has changed significantly in the internet age, and many people don’t use libraries and are often unaware of the services that they offer.
Unfortunately, rising costs and cuts to government funding have forced the Council to review the investment currently put into such facilities to ensure best value for money for taxpayers.
This meeting was aimed at reinforcing to attendees the purpose of the consultation, pointing them to further sources of information and making them aware of the on-line survey, which closes on 29th June, as well as garnering the thoughts and feelings of Evington residents about the future of the library.
The meeting was informative and allowed time for questions from the floor, of which there were many, most answered sufficiently by Councillor Dempster and Mr Warner. Attendance was good with the room filled to capacity.
Importantly it was recognised by the Council representatives that there was a difference between libraries and other community facilities which it was anticipated would require a higher level of on-going Council support.
Councillors Bijaj and Haq attended the meeting and asked salient questions on behalf of their constituents. Councillor Haq put forward a proposal suggesting the Council maintain its responsibility for the building, the provision of books and providing qualified librarians, supported by local volunteers. This appeared to be a pragmatic solution backed by many in the audience and more importantly fitting in with the Council’s expressed model of provision. Councillor Haq also asked for volunteers to join a working party to formulate a formal proposal, and several people put themselves forward.
All in all, this was a well conducted consultation meeting, chaired fairly by Councillor Dempster.
Watch this space for updates from the working party.
