NEW COUNTY LEADER: Libraries (From Bicester Advertiser)
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NEW COUNTY LEADER: Libraries
9:00am Wednesday 16th May 2012 in News
THERE will no u-turn on plans to staff Oxfordshire’s libraries with volunteers, Mr Hudspeth warned.
Almost half of the council’s libraries will be partly staffed with volunteers, but earlier this month County Hall was unable to say how many volunteers had so far come forward.
Mr Hudspeth said: “If you look at a lot of things that go on in libraries there are already a lot of volunteers running services, including young children’s reading clubs, silver surfers clubs and community projects. It is not as if nothing is happening in libraries at the moment.
“But I cannot see all libraries being manned by volunteers – that is not in the plans – and the underlying thing is that we are not closing any libraries in Oxfordshire.”
The council had planned to withdraw cash from 20 libraries across Oxfordshire two years ago, which saw protests outside County Hall and opposition from authors Philip Pullman and Colin Dexter.
Mr Hudspeth said he had learnt from the reaction, saying: “You can always improve on the way things have been done in the past.
“But I do not want to be critical on the specifics because I am not looking back and blaming anyone or anything.
“Judith Heathcoat is still in charge of museums and libraries, which shows my faith in her and the hard work she has been doing in difficult financial circumstances.”
