LIBRARY campaigners in Church Stretton have taken their case to Shirehall in Shrewsbury.

The group wants to keep Church Stretton Library in the town centre instead of having it moved to the town's high school as proposed by Shropshire Council.

After a petition was signed by more than 1,000 people, the Church Stretton Library Support Group earned the right to present its case to the full council.

Hazel Whitehouse gave a presentation on the case for keeping the library where it is to the Shropshire Council meeting at the Shirehall in Shrewsbury.

This presentation was made possible by the huge response to the petition to keep the library where it is which attracted more than 1,100 signatures.

More than 20 library support group members travelled to the Shirehall to support her and to make it clear to all councillors that there is overwhelming support for the library to remain at its current location in the town centre.

She told councillors this is ideally suited for the older population and is much more accessible than the school on the edge of town.

She added that the current location is better for the attractive mix of independent retailers and cafes in Church Stretton, and is well-suited to the concept of a community hub with the library at its centre

“We are delighted that we had the opportunity to take our arguments to the most important democratic decision making body in Shropshire,” said Felicity Thomas from the Library Support Group.

“Councillors now have no excuse whatsoever for not understanding the case for retention and have been left in no doubt that a decision to rip the library out of the heart of our community will not be tolerated or forgotten by the vast majority of residents and voters who support retention.”

A consultation period ends in the middle of March after which a decision will be made.

Shropshire Council has said that the option of moving the library to the school makes the best use of the resources that are available.