Council says ‘No’ to new carpet for library
Lib Dem councillors have hit out at a ‘bizarre’ council decision which means that a local library will miss out on investment to make it a brighter and more attractive place.
In May, Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward councillors invited bids for ward funding from local organisations and groups. The Friends of Dringhouses Library submitted a bid for £3,470 to replace the carpet in the library and create a brighter, cleaner and more modern space. In particular it was hoped to transform the area where young children spend a significant amount of time sitting and playing directly on the floor to make it a more colourful and inviting space.
The bid by the Friends was discussed at a Ward Team meeting on 10th June and was approved by the three ward councillors – Paula Widdowson, Ashley Mason and Stephen Fenton. But their decision was then vetoed by council officers who ruled that responsibility for internal building fabric sits within the existing Explore contract funding rather than the ward funding programme and that approving the bid would effectively have meant paying twice for the same area of expenditure.
The ward councillors pushed back, pointing out an apparent lack of consistency in decision-making, as a bid from the Friends in 2025 for funding to replace a rotten wooden gate and purchase a bin store to tidy up the outdoor space at the library had been approved. The officer response was that outdoor and indoor areas are treated differently.
Cllr Paula Widdowson is calling for the council to think again: “It is bad enough that the Labour council administration is threatening a £600,000 cut to funding for York’s libraries and has axed two thirds of our ward budget, but to now tell us that we can’t support our local library is just bizarre.
“The Friends of Dringhouses Library and York Explore do a fantastic job to make Dringhouses Library a safe, warm and welcoming place for everyone. As ward councillors we want to continue to support that work as we have done in the past, for example with funding for new planters and a baby changing unit. It’s incredibly disappointing that we’re now being prevented from supporting our local library.
“It’s difficult to understand why it was OK for us to fund a replacement wooden gate and a bin store last year, but this year a carpet is not OK. More colourful flooring would really give the library’s interior a lift and it does not replicate what the council’s core funding is used for.
“We won’t be deterred from supporting our local library. If there are any carpet firms who would like to help their local community library, we’d love to hear from you!”