Statement of reassurance for Raunds Library customers
Libraries09 December 2024
North Northamptonshire Council would like to reassure Raunds Library customers that the current partnerships are in place, and it is business as usual for the library.
Non-statutory libraries, one of which is Raunds Library, were offered out to local community organisations to be run as community managed libraries with support from the former Northamptonshire County Council, responsibility then passed to North Northamptonshire Council.
Conditions for the transfer were that the council would continue to provide computer systems and hardware, existing and new book stock and a level of professional support to enable the library to remain part of the network of libraries countywide.
Creating Tomorrow Trust (CTT) as the lead partner, but in conjunction with Raunds Community Library Trust (RCLT) put forward a viable business plan outlining how CTT intended to cover the costs of the property which houses the library and how, in conjunction with the RCLT volunteers, would run the library day to day. North Northamptonshire Council has leased Raunds library to CTT since September 2022 (following a formal and transparent Expression of Interest process).
Currently the library is run as a three-way partnership arrangement between North Northamptonshire Council, CTT and RCLT.Councillor Helen Howell, Deputy Leader for North Northamptonshire Council and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism
As there are ongoing discussions between all three parties about future arrangements, North Northamptonshire Council is disappointed that RCLT have put out this statement on social media.
It is not in the interests of effective partnership working for one partner to make statements about another without prior agreement.
The content of it is misleading, and as such, North Northamptonshire Council has formally requested that RCLT take the post down.
Update: 9 December - the proposed public meeting regarding Raunds Library, scheduled for Thursday, 12 December has been cancelled. North Northamptonshire Council and its partners are committed to keeping the library open.