Lancashire County Council have to make a savings of £265m over the next five years due the central government cuts and these are some of their actions.
Closing 6 museums from 30 September 2016. These are:-
The Judges Lodgings - Lancaster
Maritime Museum - Fleetwood (Run by 1 paid staff and a few volunteers and only open in the summer)
Museum of Lancashire - Preston
Textile Museum - Burnley
Helmshore Museum - Rossendale
Organisations for four of the above museums have applied to take over the running and the council is hoping negotiations will soon end with the view to make the transfers by the end of the year. But I don't know which ones they are and it still means that two will be gone forever.
Also on the list of closures are 2 Youth Centres (1 of which is in my area), the one and only Youth Offending Centre (in my area also), old people services and diabled services.
On top of that 14 Childrens Service (once know as Sure Start) one of which is in a raural area are to close. (Luckily our one is not closing) And 40 out 74 Libraries. The buildings that are owned by the council will be sold off. So may job losses too.
So many organisations rely on voluteers so that they can continue delivering the sevices we need. I worry what will happen when people say enough is enough and people stop vlounteering.
My local library is affected by the closure, where I go to a craft and chat group and will close at the end of September. However there is a group who are negotiating a new proposal with the county council and local council in a bit to take over the library, run it with volunteers, and bring in other agencies who will contribute to the cost of running the building and the county council will give £5,000 towards the set up costs. I'm not sure if other areas are also considering this way forward too.
A number of years ago our police station closed and the building sold off. It was knocked down and a block of flats were built in its place. Then gradually the 3 banks move out. All the while our village (almost the size of a town) has been expanding with more and more property being build on old farm land. (Currently only 2 working farms left in the area) Even now there are plans in with the local council to build over a 1,000 homes (with strong objections) on some farm land close to a very congested road. There are only 2 roads out of Thornton and both are congested mornings and evening and as there are so few jobs so most people have to commute.
I wonder how other councils are affected in this way and how the residents are coping?
Carolx
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My library is on the list too, something I'm very sad about. I use it a lot; borrowing books, printing, photocopying and occasionally using the computers there. The staff are helpful and knowledgeable and I'm gutted for them. It is the councils in the north that have had the largest budget cuts imposed according to what I have read.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your library is like ours a real hub of the community. We had 2 petitions going and an appeal and all was ignored as the decision was already made.
ReplyDeleteDo you have to travel far to an alternative library?
Carolx
It's another half a mile, which now we have a car again isn't a problem. If I'd had to walk it would have been difficult as the alternative is on a very hilly route, whereas the one I use now is much flatter. The alternative is also open much less than my usual one, and consequently doesnt have as many activities going on.
DeleteWe have two alternatives and they're between 3 and 4 miles away which is impossible for some of our older residents (one is 94).
DeleteCarolx