A last ditch bid has been made to stop Stockport’s historic Central Library being moved to a new £14.5m hub.
Town hall chiefs last week signed off controversial plans to transfer the service to a ‘learning and discovery centre’ at Merseyway shopping centre.
Dubbed ‘Stockroom’ it will be five times larger than the current library on the A6, and also boast a performance area, sensory room and cafe.
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Cabinet members unanimously approved the government-funded plans- but the decision has now been ‘called in’ by the Tories and Lib Dems.
The issue is now likely to go before next month’s meeting of the full council - although the final decision ultimately remains with the cabinet.
It comes after three scrutiny committees voted not to proceed with the library move - sending a clear message to the Labour executive.
While the cabinet insists the decision was entirely democratic those on the opposition benches see things rather differently.
The Lib Dems - who outnumber Labour on the council - say the public consultation results show people are ‘overwhelmingly opposed’ to moving services from Central Library.
Councillor Lou Ankers, has accused the Labour executive, of refusing to listen to its own consultation responses, 'saying not to move library services from Central Library'.
The shadow cabinet member added: “We have no objection to the development of Stockroom - the objection we have is the removal of library services from Central Library against the clear view of the consultation.
“What is the point of the consultation if it is just going to be ignored in this way?”
The decision will soon be brought before the corporate, resource management and governance scrutiny committee - which is expected to vote for the matter to be discussed at the next full council meeting on January 13.
Coun Ankers said: “Our next step was to use the powers available to us to call in the decision for further scrutiny and hopefully get it discussed again at full council so we can tell the Labour administration once again what the residents of Stockport want, as they don't seem to be listening.”
The Conservatives - the council’s second largest opposition group - has also used the same mechanism to ‘call in’ the decision.
The consultation included online and on-street surveys, but overall more people said they were against moving the library than for it.
Group leader Coun Mike Hurleston said he understood the cabinet had taken the exercise into account but believes they ‘to some extent have ignored it’.
And he says it remains unclear whether leaving some - or all - services at the current library would scupper the funding for the entire Stockroom project.
“I’m not sure if it totally jeopardises it or not, and I think that needs to be explained,” he said.
“We made a bid for the funds which included a bid for the library and now we need to make a case for moving the library.
“It’s a bit cart before the horse.
“I think it’s something that needs to be discussed further - that’s why we have called it in.”
Council bosses have pledged that the current Central Library building will not be demolished or sold off for housing - and will remain open to the public.
Bosses’ preferred future use of the building is as a new home for the adult education centre, currently based on Hardman Street.
Other options include moving the coroners court from Mount Tabor and using the building as a doctors’ or dental surgery.
However, Coun Hurleston also believes this detail came rather late in the day - and further discussions are warranted.
“It’s pretty clear from whoever you talk to that people like that building.
"Obviously it’s owned by the council and we seem to be coming to a clearer idea of what it’s going to be used for,” he said.
“Until a few weeks ago it was just a list of ideas.”
And he says it is ‘somewhat inevitable’ that the plans will now be debated at full council next month.
“What’s the point of voting against it in scrutiny committees if you are not going to call it in,” he said.
Stockport full council next meeting on January 13.
An extraordinary meeting of the corporate, resource management and governance scrutiny committee is expected to be confirmed shortly.
