Edzell library woe continues
EDZELL villagers upset at the loss of their library have been dealt a further blow with news that a new mobile library could be another six months away.
Angus Council closed the Inglis Memorial Hall library together with three other rural libraries in April as part of budget cuts. In replacement, the authority scheduled weekly trips from one of its two library vans.
The move has not been popular with locals, who aside from being upset at the closure of what was a popular library, say the replacement is anything but adequate.
The timing of the visits, each Monday afternoon, has come under fire, with Monday holidays meaning the village has gone a fortnight before it returns, resulting in fines for some locals. The van's MOT was also scheduled for a Monday and the replacement, a white Transit van, lacked shelter and arrived with only three boxes of books.
A more pressing concern is with access though, with locals saying that the ageing van is "difficult," particularly for the elderly and disabled.
The chair of Inveresk Community Council, Charlie Simpson, said: "I was there recently when an elderly lady was trying to get on the library van and she was having great difficulty."
Representatives of Angus Council had previously told villagers that new mobile library vans were to be ordered to replace the two current vans, making access easier and improving the mobile provision. However, it has now been confirmed that it could be next year before any new vehicles hit the roads.
Mr Myles told this month's meeting of the community council: "We are looking at some van replacements. I don't know if you've been to Aberdeenshire but they have new, low slung library vans which are easier to access.
"Once commissioned, it takes about three to six months to get one delivered. It depends on which company gets the commission."
It is still unclear if the new vans will provide internet access.
Meanwhile, the campaign group hoping to reverse the council's decision to close the Inglis Memorial Hall library have hit out at Angus Council for failing to fully assess the impact of its closure.
Heather Gow, a member of the group and the community council, said that the Equality Impact Assessment completed by cultural services manager Norman Atkinson was "very poor."
She said: "The form was completed by Norman Atkinson on November 2 last year, so I would surmise that this has been on the council's radar for some time. There was plenty of time to consult everyone.
"It is also a very poor assessment because it's about the closure of all four libraries, not each individual library."
Mrs Gow said there was little or no quality research evident in the report and that they are continuing to liaise with the Scottish Government.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Brechin
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
