Perthshire residents fight to save their local library from potential closure

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Residents of a Perthshire village have launched a campaign to save their local library. Last year several Perth and Kinross libraries were temporarily saved from closure.Amidst mounting fears over the future of Birnam Library, residents have staged a protest and put together a video saying how much the facility means to the community.

Last year councillors committed £173,000 for the 2023/24 revenue budget to keep libraries in Alyth, Auchterarder, Birnam, Comrie, North Inch ( Perth ) and Pitlochry open.

It is understood Coupar Angus Library - which has been closed since 2019 due to works at Coupar Angus Town Hall - would also have been permanently closed.

As part of the 2023/24 budget councillors allocated £150,000 for a council-wide review of its leisure and cultural assets. In December 2023 councillors were presented with the findings of an independent report by Audit Glasgow to support the transformation review of the council's three Arms-length External Organisations (ALEOs).Among the 12 recommendations put to councillors - which included merging Perth's three main leisure facilities onto one site - was to "consolidate key library provision to community campuses and the AK Bell Library, trial the open library model at Scone" and "co-locate other rural library services where possible within the wider council/public estate".The officers' report said the recommendation was "based on evidence and recommendations from a review of libraries carried out by CPK on behalf of the council which identified changing usage and rising cost pressures".The recommendations were approved by councillors on December 6, 2023.On February 28 councillors will set the 2024/25 budget for Perth and Kinross.