Brought to book

Following up on your story regarding the Liberal Democrats’ petition on the closure of Maiden Erlegh library, I thought it might be helpful to clarify the situation for your readers.

We should be clear – the school, which is an academy and therefore independent of the council, has decided to terminate the lease allowing the library to use the site. If they choose to reuse the space for other teaching needs, that is solely their decision, and it is not in the gift of the council to overrule the school.

It is worth bearing in mind that Wokingham Borough Council has bucked the national trend by increasing its library usage, as well as opening new libraries, and we are encouraging the residents currently using the Maiden Erlegh library to visit the Lower Earley or Woodley libraries, both of which are only a couple of miles away. These two libraries have the benefits of longer opening hours, and Woodley is open seven days a week, as well as self-serve kiosks to make it easier to borrow items.

We are, of course, approaching an election, and disappointingly, our opposition have jumped on an issue that they are misrepresenting to scare residents into voting for them. The petition should be targeted at the school, not the council.

The Conservatives on Wokingham Borough Council will continue our positive work on libraries that has so far seen improved facilities, increased numbers of community events and activities for children, and even voluntary services that include the home delivery of items to pensioners, for example, who can’t get to the libraries. Rather than just talk about it, we Conservatives are getting on and

delivering the best for our borough. Cllr Norman Jorgensen, Executive Member for Environment, Wokingham Borough Council