I HAVE very fond memories of the mobile library service. Back in the day (and we’re talking about a long time ago) the mobile library would park at the end of my road and would be there all Saturday afternoon.
It was a haven of calm and opened up a world of literature and reading that I suspect would otherwise have been unavailable to me when I was growing up.
I developed a love of Greek and Norse mythology and the lovely library assistant, who I can remember to this day, used to keep a record of the books I had read so she could make sure I always had a new one waiting for me.
It was a simpler time and times change, sometimes not for the better. It was a sad day when the mobile library service was scrapped in the name of ‘cost savings’ or ‘efficiency’.
So it was with real delight that I noticed Cheshire West and Chester Council is going all out to actually improve its mobile library service. Yes, it’s easy to criticize CWAC, and I’ve been guilty of that in the past, but credit where it’s due when it gets something right.
So later this year, the library service will be introducing a new, modern mobile library. The new vehicle will replace the existing mobile library vehicle and as it will be fully electric, it comes with much improved eco-credentials.
According to the council, other sustainable features include solar panels and LED lighting. There will also be improvements to services such as an awning for summer activities and onboard wi-fi and digital access for customers.
But there are other changes proposed as well including enhancing some stops by adding activities, such as a storytime or craft session in partnership with community centers or village halls, reviewing existing stops on a six-monthly basis, and withdrawing five stops that are not well used but adding three additional stops, some close to the stops being removed from current mobile library routes.
To be honest, this all sounds eminently reasonable but you may have a different opinion and if you want to have your say (as I have done) then I would suggest you take part in the consultation which is open until October 2.
The feedback from this consultation will be considered by the library service to help shape the future of the mobile library. The consultation findings will be available on the council’s website in November along with an update of any decisions and what will happen after that.
On another topic (but still related to CWAC) I wandered into some online comments on the Guardian’s website on the story about Northwich town councilor Lee Siddall who says he intends to run for a seat on Cheshire West and Chester Council after becoming ‘fed up’ with the authority.
Cllr Siddall, who represents the Winnington and Castle ward on the town council, says not enough was being done for the town at borough level, citing the prolonged delays with a new Winnington Bridge and a lack of communication about the future of Weaver Square as just two examples.
But it was the comment from ‘Chesnews’ that caught my eye. He (or she) said: “Cheshire West and Chester Council has been a total disaster since Vale Royal got disbanded along with all the other district councils.
“Your [Cllr Siddall’s] time would be better spent in pushing other Northwich councilors to create a Northwich unitary council like Warrington or Runcorn [it’s actually Halton and includes Runcorn and Widnes]. This would include Northwich and up to Delamere in the west, Antrobus/Stretton in the north, Lostock in the east and down to Byley in the south.
“It’s about time we took back control from Cheshire West and Chester Council and made decisions that affect Northwich in our own town!
“The town and Northwich district population wise will be reaching 80,000 once the rest of these housing estates have been built – so more than enough to create a unitary council.”
Nice try, Chesnews, but no cigar. I have a great deal of sympathy for your suggestion and I agree the splitting of Cheshire into CWAC and Cheshire East in 2009 was wrong-headed at the time and remains problematic now. But a little research would have told you that the government’s minimum population requirement for a new unitary authority is 300,000 although it has made an exception in the two new Cumbrian authorities of around 250,000 which leaves Northwich some way short.
For the record, the 2019 population of Cheshire East was 380,694 and CWAC was 339,824.