Bree wants to know if library got any of the extra € 1 million

“THE Department has given the County Council an additional sum of € 1 million in funding for the current year and yet we have libraries closing. Where else could it happen but in Sligo?” the county’s longest serving councillor, Declan Bree ( pictured) has asked.

“Last year the IMPACT Trade Union highlighted the fact that the library service in Sligo was suffering from lack of investment and the union also pointed out that Council management had failed to ensure appropriate staffing levels over a long period of time.

“Six weeks ago the Minister of State speaking in the Senate, said, any closure of libraries in County Sligo was not the result of changes the Department was introducing. The Minister said it was a Council decision.

“I find it inconceivable that the management of the Council would allow the closure of the Central Library at a time when we are promoting the county as the Yeats Country and a haven of literature. We now need answers from the Council executive.

Cllr Bree has asked a number of questions including: Why were the elected councillors not advised of the Chief Executive’s decision to close the library in advance of the media learning of the decision?

“Why has no comprehensive statement or briefing been provided by the Chief Executive to the elected representatives regarding the matter? Did the Chief Executive advise the Secretary General of the Department of Local Government of the proposal to close the Sligo Central Library when they met in Dublin on Wednesday the 7th September?

“Did the Chief Executive seek approval from the Secretary General to fill any specific vacant library posts? Did the Chief Executive at any stage make a specific submission to the Department seeking approval for the filling of vacant library positions?

“What portion, if any, of the additional grant of € 1 million the Council received this year has been used for the library services?

Cllr Bree has sent a letter to Mr Hayes containing a number of the questions outlined.

Meanwhile IMPACT says management is set to permanently close one of the three libraries, Sligo Central, Ballymote or Tubbercurry. IMPACT assistant general secretary Richy Carrothers said: “The library services are a vital resource and are greatly valued by the community.

“The decision to close the central library was a unilateral decision by management. They failed to make any efforts to consult with staff, despite the support of our members in the local authority. For example, it was IMPACT members in the Tubbercurry motor tax office who agreed to cover Tubbercurry library on Saturdays and evenings in order to ensure this vital service stayed open,” he said.

Mr Carrothers said the financial plan agreed between the Council and the Department of was “strangling” local services. “There has been a 37% reduction in staffing levels at the Council in recent years, one of the biggest falls in staff numbers for any local authority in the country. The threat to our library services, which is a vital point of connection for young and old, students and jobseekers, has galvanised the entire community to fight to save it.”