RESIDENTS in the Chorley town of Adlington could be advised to use a Bolton library when their local facility closes down.
Lancashire County Council is planning to shut Adlington Library as part of sweeping cuts that will see more than 20 centres close across the county.
The county council is looking to save £150 million by 2020/21 and in total will close around 100 buildings.
Local residents and councillors have launched a campaign to save Adlington Library and were buoyed after cabinet members agreed to revisit the closure — but a meeting this week has decided the original plan to shut it will now go ahead.
A report that went to the council’s cabinet meeting earlier this month indicates that users of the soon-to-close Adlington facility could travel the 2.6 miles into neighbouring Horwich to use the services at the Lord Street premises, once the closure takes place.
The report states: “The Library Planning and Needs Assessment does not identify the need to retain a fixed library in this location with Adlington being a community that does not experience high levels of need and which benefits from good transport links to other fixed library provision, both in Chorley borough and to the universal service provided by Bolton Council in Horwich.”
This news came as something as a surprise to Bolton Council leader Cliff Morris who said he was ‘amazed’ to hear that Chorley residents could be directed to use Bolton’s facilities.
This follows the emergence of a rivalry between the two boroughs last year, after Chorley’s council leader Alistair Bradley said he would back the idea of disgruntled Horwich residents leaving Bolton to move to his town.
This followed suggestions from a group of residents that Horwich could 'break away' from Bolton and join neighbouring Chorley.
Cllr Morris said: “A few years ago Chorley were inviting people in Horwich to go and live there and now people in Chorley may be directed to use Bolton’s libraries — we can’t be all bad then and are giving the people of Horwich what they need.”
It must be pointed out that it is Lancashire County Council — not Chorley — which has agreed the closures, but Cllr Kim Snape — who sits on both — thinks it is something Bolton should have been consulted on.
She said: “In the overall area Adlington Library serves there are about 9,500 people and I think to ask Bolton Council to cater for these people without any funding is quite cheeky.
“The people of Adlington pay their taxes to Lancashire County Council and not Bolton Council.”
Speaking about the closures, a spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “The county council has to change its services to make them more affordable. The council is receiving less funding from the Government, while also having to spend more on essential services for vulnerable children and adults because of an increase in demand.”
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