Town council should pay towards library

WE are both extremely disappointed by Thatcham Town Council’s Liberal Democratrun administration’s recent decision not to contribute towards Thatcham Library’s running costs.

Whilst Libraries are a West Berkshire Council responsibility with an annual budget of over £1.2m for the eight libraries in the district, most town and parish councils have been contributing towards the costs of running their local library since 2017.

These contributions have helped keep library opening hours higher than they would have been.

We are facing a challenging budget for next year, given inflationary and other pressures, and support from all town and parish councils will make it easier to avoid having to trim services.

West Berkshire Council is about to invest in a new accessible toilet and entrance for Thatcham Library at a cost of well over £60,000.

The library is very popular, with over 27,000 visits made and 36,630 items borrowed last year.

It is sustained with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers. Thatcham Town Council is well funded and their contribution for the 2022/23 financial year is sitting in its bank account, doing absolutely nothing to help with sustaining or improving local services.

They should also be prepared to support the library service in the future.

The contribution is only £1 per person.

It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that manoeuvring for party political advantage, rather than acting in the best interests of Thatcham residents, is what is behind the Liberal Democrats’

move.

We ask all residents to lobby the LDs and ask them to reconsider their decision

STEVE ARDAGH-WALTER Conservative councillor for Thatcham Colthrop and Crookham

HOWARD WOOLLASTON Conservative councillor for Lambourn

Portfolio holder for leisure and culture

West Berkshire Council