10th Feb 2012 - Dorset County Council Cabinet approve community libraries business plans
Members of Dorset County Council Cabinet meeting at Dorchester in March approved proposals to allow them to move forward and handover control to the communities. Seven of the nine community libraries have so far submitted a business plan to the county to take over the running of their libraries. Two communities Portland Underhill and Corfe Castle have yet to do so. In the case of Portland the lease on the building expires shortly and with regard to Corfe Castle, the chairman of the Friends Group recently suddenly passed away, but a group of parish councillors have requested a meeting with Library Officer in an endeavour to retain the library.
Chickerell, Wool, Charmouth, Colehill Burton Bradstock and Stalbridge business plans were approved.
Hazel Robinson Chairman of Charmouth Library made an appeal to the Cabinet for extra funding in order to bring the library building up to standard which is at present desperately in need of major repairs to the roof. The Chairman of the Cabinet Cllr. Angus Campbell stated that all libraries that were being handed over to the community would be handed over in an acceptable state of repair.
The Chairman of AD LIB, Graham Lee informed the meeting that there were a number of areas which needed to be resolved before any handover of a library to the community and suggested that a joint meeting with all the interested parties took place as soon as possible. This course of action was approved.