Heatherr has condemned as ‘taxation by the back door’ a move by Shropshire Council to get Parish Councils to pay for the library service in their area.
Heather said: “Pontesbury Library serves a wide area of the County from Plealey down to Worthen and Snailbeach. Following a very well attended meeting in the Library on 28th April, Shropshire Council agreed to come back to the community with a series of options for the future of the library. After pressure from Councillors the Council finally published these options in late June.”
These included:1. A community run library staffed by volunteers and run by a new community based organisation for this specific purpose.2. Ask an existing local organisation to run it. 3. Scrap the Library and replace it with a library van
Heather continued “Then however, Tory led Shropshire Council dropped a bombshell recently by proposing that they continue to run the Library but that the Parish Councils pay for them!
“This is outrageous, this a statutory service that the Council are obliged to provide. Now they propose to charge local parish councils thousands of pounds for the privilege. This is taxation by the back door It would also throw Parish Council’s finances into chaos as the precepts are set for this year and we cant raise any extra money.
“We have already suffered from having our support grant withdrawn by the Council. Worthen Parish had to take on running Snailbeach toilets and already pays for street lights and burial grounds on a small precept. The earliest these Councils could raise this money- even is they wanted too- is next April by putting up the Council Tax.”
STOP PRESS: On Monday Night (27th July) Worthen with Shelve Parish Council decided not to accede to this request citing the removal of the Parish Support Grant by the Council as a key reason. This money had been provided by Central Government specifically for parish councils.
Notes: The Council propose to charge Pontesbury Parish £5674, Minsterley £1702 and Worthen with Shelve £897