Maidenhead councillors vow to save Boyn Grove library from closure

In February’s cabinet meeting, lead members voted in favour of launching a 12-week public consultation on the possible closures of four libraries in order to save over £290,000 – swapping instead to a ‘digital offer’.

One of those libraries facing the axe is the Boyn Grove library – which was only opened in 2015.

Speaking to the Observer, Boyn Hill councillor Stuart Carroll (Con), lead member for social care and public health, said he and his colleague Cllr Gurpreet Bhangra (Con) disagree with the proposed closure and will leave ‘no stone unturned’ in finding ways to save the library.

READ MORE: Lead Windsor & Maidenhead councillors consider closing multiple libraries

He said: “We’re here to represent the views of Boyn Hill and we take that very seriously. The people of Boyn Hill are the boss and we need to represent their views.

“We don’t think this particular part of the proposal is sensible. Although we want to see a greater emphasis on our digital strategy to help those who cannot access a library – but when you look at Boyn Grove, its strategic location makes it unique.

“It’s within walking distance of six different schools, it’s located within a very accessible part of the local community, and it has a direct relationship with Optalis and the wider Boyn Grove site.”

Cllr Stuart Carroll

He added he and Cllr Bhangra will be working with council officers and Cllr Samantha Rayner (Con: Eton and Castle), lead member for leisure and residential services, on not only retaining Boyn Grove library – but also finding alternative funding streams and savings as well.

Cllr Carroll said: “We already started to look at the library in some detail and I do think there some immediate mitigations that can be sought; for example, not just in terms of opening hours and shifts – but also how much we’re spending on cleaning.

“We want the library to be clean and it is vital the library is sanitised after public use – but there is an argument to say that can we keep it more strategic and astute on how we’re procuring cleaning services.

“There are other examples around could we not be using opening up Boyn Grove library for private use when it’s not open for local education classes or flexi-work areas for people who will eventually be commuting in and out of Maidenhead or want a quiet place to work.”

READ MORE: Maidenhead resident pleads to council not to close 'well used' library

Cllr Carroll said he and Cllr Bhangra have spoken to Andrew Hill, who set up a petition urging cabinet members to save the library, as well as residents to “try and put all heads together to find the best possible solution”.

He also said they will also be lobbying Government to give the arts and libraries more emergency funding to keep them operational during the pandemic.