Wednesday 4 March 2015

Exploring new opportunities for Blackhall library

East Durham Trust is to host a public meeting at Blackhall Community Centre on Thursday 12 March 2015 from 5pm until 6pm to look at ways of using Blackhall library more effectively and to ask local residents for their views:

Deep and persistent central government cuts to local authority budgets have meant that councils, particularly those in the North-East, are constantly having to review the delivery of their public services. This includes the library service across County Durham.

 Although Blackhall library is currently not under threat of closure it would make sense to consider all future possibilities for running this service. One such consideration may be to take libraries, such as the one at Blackhall, out of Durham County Council control and place it in public or community control. 

 The meeting next Thursday is intended to enable residents to have their say on the future of library services in their village, and to allow East Durham Trust to weigh-up the extent of public support, if any, for alternative arrangements for library services in Blackhall.

 Given the likelihood of misleading rumours filtering through the community before this event takes place we would be grateful if two very important factors could be held in mind:
  • Although council services remain under constant review, Blackhall library is currently not under imminent threat of closure
  • The public meeting to be held next week is simply to explore the public's desire to look at different ways of running our library. If residents decide that they would like current arrangements to continue as they are for now then that is what will happen
If you are not able to attend the public meeting on Thursday, but would like to express your views, please go to:


0191 569 3511 if you would prefer to have a questionnaire posted to your home.
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