Moray campaigners gathered outside the council building today as a decision was being made on the future of several libraries.
In November, a proposal was announced to shut several libraries including Burghead, Cullen, Dufftown, Keith, Lossiemouth, Fochabers and Tomintoul.
This was part of a plan to replace these libraries with a new rural community outreach service, which would initially save £376,000 in staffing and central service costs.
Campaigners say they hoped their hard work has paid off after the council decided on the future of the community hubs earlier today.
The paper was discussed in private at today’s full council meeting, and an update is expected to be announced later today or tomorrow.
Councillors from a range of political parties, including council leader Kathleen Robertson, spoke to the campaigners this morning.
Les Tarr, a library campaigner from Cullen, said he felt “optimistic” that the council would make the “right decision”.
He said: “Certainly all the communications I’ve had from councillors, the feedback we’re getting from them is that no one wants to shut the libraries.
“So we’re quite optimistic that at the end of the day there will be something that saves the libraries.”
Communities ‘need’ their libraries, campaigners say
Meanwhile, campaigner Janice Meldrum, who worked at Keith Library for 23 years, attended the demonstration to ‘show support’ for staff members.
She said: “The attainment at schools is pretty poor at the minute so they need libraries.
“It’s a warm social hub and an information point for the council.
“There’s book groups, knitting groups, story times for kids and more.”
Frankie Barton, a resident of Dufftown, is an avid user of the library and relies on it for downloading materials for an online educational course.
He said: “For me, I have to have internet access.
“I need to use the library to get online.
“For me, it’s about having a place with an extensive amount of information.
“There’s also someone there to help you. It wouldn’t make sense to take that away.”
He added that they feel “very optimistic” from talks he has had with councillors.
After living in Bristol, campaigner Georgina Barker moved to Portknockie in 2020 with her wife and lives close to Cullen Library.
When she learned of the proposed closures, Dr Barker said she was “devastated.”
Moray libraries saga continues
Since the proposals were announced, campaigners have been advocating to keep the seven libraries open.
In December, Moray Council talks had to be suspended after leader Kathleen Robertson broke down in tears during an apology before the meeting resumed roughly a minute later.
This followed the SNP group’s demand for a special Moray Council meeting after the central office of the Scottish Conservatives issued a press release stating that controversial library closures ‘would no longer be taken forward’.
However, that email was retracted within hours, and a replacement was issued omitting the reference.
Since then, the Moray Council administration has said it hopes to explore ‘alternative plans’.
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