Campaign to save Wigan's last Carnegie library as repair bill soars
A campaign has been launched to save a Wigan library facing a huge repair bill.
Ashton Library was shut in July last year as extensive repairs were needed to the historic building, particularly to the roof after dry rot was discovered.
Most of its services were relocated to the The Pavilion building at Jubilee Park as a temporary measure.
But ward councillor Danny Fletcher has now revealed that surveys have shown the work needed will be much more expensive than anticipated.
He said Wigan Council had a budget of £1m for the repairs – but he claims they are actually set to cost £3m.
Coun Fletcher said: “It turns out it will cost significantly more to repair, potentially up to £3m, so £2m over the budget. It’s all down to the roof, the dry rot. It’s a listed building, so with that comes expenses from English Heritage, we have to use certain materials, so the price has shot up to £3m.”
The library stands at the junction of Wigan Road and Old Road and was opened in 1906 using a grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Generations of Ashton residents have borrowed books from the library or attended activities there, making it a part of the fabric of life in the area.
It is those strong community links that Coun Fletcher is hoping to highlight as he launches a campaign to save the library.
He has set up Ashton Infrastructure and Resilience (AIR) Forum to rally support and look at ways to keep the library open for future generations.
Hundreds of people have joined the forum’s new Facebook group, with many people posting messages about what the library means to them.
A petition has been launched to save the library and a community meeting has been scheduled for 6.30pm on Monday, October 13 at Ashton’s Salvation Army building.
Bryn councillors are also holding a public meeting, at 7pm on Thursday, October 2 at Bryn Community Club.
Coun Fletcher hopes funding can be secured from alternative sources and said closing the library “shouldn’t be an option”.
He said: “The whole purpose of the campaign is that the community wants this. It means a lot to them. From the social media reaction, you can see it matters to people.”
Coun Chris Ready, whose council portfolio of communities and neighbourhoods includes libraries, said he does not yet have a final cost for the work and could not confirm that it would be £3m.
He is working with Makerfield MP Josh Simons and ward councillors to look at how the library can be saved.
Coun Ready said: “It’s the last Carnegie library in the borough. It’ something that we want to keep. It’s a grade II-listed building and it’s in a central location. It’s very important to the council and very important to me.”
Mr Simons said: “I know that Ashton and Bryn residents love the library. It is a beautiful building and it's used so much by our community. I'm going to fight alongside local councillors to do everything we can to save it. I know that the state of the building is a lot worse than we realised before, but it's worth fighting for."