What a valuable community resource

Sutton Coldfield library user John Pedder has kindly given us permission to reproduce the letter he wrote to his local newspaper about library services in his area. This was written in response to the Editor’s piece about Birmingham City Council’s apparent reluctance to reinstate Sutton Coldfield’s Library, which has been closed for several months since asbestos was discovered in the building.
Dear Sir, 
Ross Crawford’s View point last week should warn us of Birmingham Council’s lack of commitment to Library services in the community; for a town centre the size of Sutton Coldfield not to have a Library would be disgraceful.
Also, the Council’s latest cost-cutting proposal would see staff at the main Library in each constituency cut to 4 full time staff plus Saturday and  lunchtime assistants. This, together with an increase in opening hours to 6 days a week, would reduce the average number of staff on duty from about 6 to less than 2.5. It is ridiculous to expect a busy Library with typically 400-600 visitors per day to operate with so few staff.
The Council may claim that volunteers can make up the numbers, but as each volunteer is unlikely to work for more than one day a week, it would require at least 5 volunteers for every staff member lost – needing at least 25 volunteers for every main Library.
It would be better if the people making these decisions on the Council had actually worked in a Library and knew what a valuable community resource they provide.
John Pedder, Erdington.

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