The Mayor of Doncaster says he will overrule a council decision
to reopen two libraries in Doncaster.
A Labour budget amendment to reopen libraries at Denaby and
Carcroft was passed by the full council on 5 March.
Council funding was withdrawn from 14 libraries in 2011. Two
closed and 12 were transferred to volunteer groups.
Peter Davies, of the English Democrats, said the amendment would
undermine the voluntary nature of the plan. Labour described his decision as
"appalling".
Doncaster Council has to find £80m in savings over four years.
Reducing the number of council-run libraries from 26 to 12 has
saved almost £1m, Mr Davies said.
'For
nothing'
Labour is the majority group on the council and leader Sandra
Holland said the amendment would have ensured that no library in the borough
would fail.
The proposal to reopen the two libraries would have cost
£380,000.
It would have also provided a paid member of staff for the other
12 volunteer-run libraries.
Mr Davies said under the elected mayoral system he had the right
to spend or not spend the money as he wished and would overrule the council for
the first time in three years.
He said: "If you put some paid people into libraries run by
volunteers the likely scenario is the volunteers will say, 'to hell with this,
they are getting paid I am doing it for nothing, I am not sticking
around'."
Ms Holland said: "I am appalled by the news that the mayor
will ignore this vote and refuses to wake up to the fact that Doncaster people
want to see community libraries supported and closed libraries reopened."
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