THE fight to keep Church Stretton Library in the town centre is expected to be lost.

A meeting of Shropshire Council’s portfolio decision making group meets tomorrow (Friday, March 27) when it will consider a recommendation to move the library from the town centre to Church Stretton School.

The campaign group that has been fighting the move says a decision to change the library's location would be an outrage and undemocratic.

The Church Stretton Library Support Group accuses Shropshire Council of the abandonment of all pretence of working with residents and delivering a democratic, accountable public library service.

They say the recommendation ignores 81.85% of respondents to its latest consultation on the Church Stretton Library who rejected the relocation proposal.

To add insult to injury they say that the decision will be made by one councillor, Steve Charmely, sitting in private in a room in Shirehall with no opportunity for the people that really matter to take part in the decision making process.

The public is not allowed to attend the meeting but can apply to make a submission or ask a question.

The Church Stretton Library Support Group says it has struggled for four months with partial, inadequate and confused information from the council and the school.

As an example of this they claim to have been given different accounts as to whether a mini-bus would be available to help people get from the town centre to the library if it is moved to the school.

“This council has demonstrated a staggering degree of arrogance and disregard for the democratic process,” said Felicity Thomas of the Library Support Group.

“If approximately 81.85% of replies to a consultation say the library should stay where it is and local residents offer ways of achieving that result, a well-directed, democratic and accountable council would accept the offer and work with local residents to achieve a mutually acceptable outcome.

“The council has given us all a slap in the face and rejected all these options and alternatives. This will not be forgotten”

Shropshire Council says that the move will involve the creation of a community hub that will play a key role in providing information advice and guidance.

It says that the decision will enable the best quality library service to be provided consistent with the financial pressure being faced by the council.

Its report into the issue says that moving the facility to the school will be the most effective use of resources.

Shropshire Council says that with cuts having to be made priorities have to be determined.

It says the challenging demographics of Shropshire’s population mean that vital services such as looking after elderly people and vulnerable children have to be prioritised. It adds that changes to all local and strategic services are unavoidable.

The council says that the budget reduction for the library service of £1.3m means that the money available for Church Stretton Library will not be sufficient to continue as normal.