SUPPORT FOR LIBRARY RELOCATION TO SOUTHPORT MARKET

12.08.47pm GMT Tue 10th Nov 2009

Maureen Fearn

Southport's Liberal Democrat councillors, who hold two-thirds of Southport's 21 council seats, have expressed their unanimous support for the idea of temporarily relocating the town's library into the rear of Southport Market Hall.

Sefton Council's ruling Cabinet is due to make key decisions about the £15 million Southport Cultural Centre project at tomorrow's (Thursday 14 November) Cabinet meeting, and one of the most controversial is whether an alternative town centre library should be provided while the three year project is carried out.

Lib Dem Councillor Maureen Fearn, Chair of the Southport Area Committee told the Visiter: "The 14-strong group of Southport Lib Dem councillors want to congratulate the Visiter for its coverage of the whole issue of the closure of Southport Library while the much-needed £15 million refurbishment scheme the Arts Centre and Library complex is carried out."

"We firmly believe that for the three years during which work is being done to the existing buildings, Southport cannot do without a town centre library."

"We have looked at every potential site in the town centre and it is clear to us that the only seriously viable option is to use vacant space within Southport's Market Hall," continued Councillor Fearn.

"The report in last week's Visiter (Friday 30 October) confirmed our view that using the rear of the Market would be good news for library-users and good news for existing market traders. With the prospect of an extra 150,000 visits a year to 'Southport's library within a market' it is little wonder that market traders have welcomed the idea wholeheartedly - as the Visiter reported."

"Liberal Democrat councillors in Southport are unanimous in asking the Cabinet to back the option of using space in the Market Hall as the town's temporary library."