A LIBRARY which sold off furniture ahead of its expected closure was told by Wirral Council there were no funds to replace it.
Wallasey Village library was one of those expected to be shut as part of Wirral’s controversial library closure plans, which were abandoned six weeks ago.
Wirral Council had planned to shut 11 of the borough’s 24 libraries earlier this year and replace them with new neighbourhood centres – but the plans were dramatically dropped ahead of the publication of a Government report into the proposals.
However, as its closure date approached, the Friends of Wallasey Village Library sold off furniture used for meetings and other events at the library.
When the library was given a reprieve, local councillor Paul Hayes took up the case, pressing the authority for help in replacing the furniture.
Last month, the council said it had received Cllr Hayes’s email and was “looking in to it and seeing what can be done to help”.
However, Cllr Hayes was later told: “Unfortunately, we do not have funds for the purchase of the replacement furniture which is only required for special meetings, not the day-to-day operation of the library. As you know, the Friends funded the purchase of the furniture and we will assist them to make applications for suitable grants.”
Cllr Hayes has since supported the application for funding from the local Area Forum.
Cllr Hayes said: “It was clear from discussions with council officers that they were unwilling to urgently provide the funds for the furniture to be purchased and it was left up to the New Brighton and Wallasey Area Forum to come to the assistance of the library.
“I am delighted that the Friends of Wallasey Village Library will now be able to purchase the furniture they effectively gave away prior to Wirral Council being forced to perform a humiliating U-turn and keep this much-loved facility open.”
A spokesperson for Wirral Council said: “We are grateful for all the work that Friends groups do for their local libraries and this mix-up is unfortunate.
“However, budgets are limited and, as the basic functioning of the library is not affected by the furniture in question, we can’t justify spending more money replacing it.
“We are liaising with the Friends of Wallasey Village Library to identify alternative funding sources and we are hopeful of a positive outcome.”
