A JUDICIAL review will be held in April into the decision of Shropshire Council to move Church Stretton Library.
The decision was challenged by local campaigners unhappy at the decision to move the library from the town centre to the Church Stretton School.
In March 2015 Shropshire Council decided to close the Church Stretton Library in its current building and move it out of town to be run by a private company at the school on Shrewsbury Road
This was different to Shropshire Council’s approach to most other towns in Shropshire, where town councils have been offered the chance to run their libraries for their communities.
A petition with more than 1,100 signatures and two public meetings with a combined attendance of around 500 people objected to the relocation and campaigners asked Shropshire Council to ‘keep the library where it is.’
Shropshire Council confirmed its decision to move the library and campaigners helped to initiate a legal challenge (a Judicial Review) of the decision to move the library.
“We did not want to go to court, but we believe that the whole of Shropshire Council’s consultation and decision-making process was flawed,” said Felicity Thomas of the Church Stretton Library Support Group.
“It was only after we had exhausted all other options that we helped initiate a legal challenge, which will provide residents and library users with the opportunity to hear our arguments regarding the validity of the Council’s decision and hear the Council’s responses to the many concerns about relocation expressed by the local community.”
The High Court has now listed the case for hearing on April 4 and 5 in Birmingham.
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