Around 100 people attended a rally in Scone at the weekend to oppose the closure of the town’s library.
Scone and six other Perth and Kinross libraries – North Inch (Perth), Dunkeld, Alyth, Auchterarder, Comrie and Coupar Angus – are facing an uncertain future following a decision by PKC in February to allocate £191,000 of its 2024/25 budget to Culture Perth and Kinross to find “local solutions for library services”.
A review had recommended consolidation of “key library provision to community campuses and [Perth’s] AK Bell Library, trial the open library model at Scone” and to “co-locate other rural library services where possible within the wider council/public estate”.
At Holyrood last week Perthshire Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser raised the issue with Scottish Government culture minister Angus Robertson.
And Green Perthshire MSP Mark Ruskell has urged PKC to urgently protect rural libraries from cuts and closures.
At Saturday’s Scone rally, addressing around 100 people, Mr Ruskell called on the local authority and Culture Perth and Kinross to halt the closure programme and consult meaningfully with communities on a way forward.
Mr Ruskell had discussed the matter with representatives from Scone, Birnam and Comrie and PKC officials on Friday.
Speaking after the rally, Mr Ruskell said: “It was very moving to hear from local people about how much they love their library in Scone and how it supports the most vulnerable people in the community.
“Libraries across Perthshire are about so much more than book borrowing, it’s incredibly short sighted to close them, once a library is gone it’s gone and the impact will be felt for years ahead.
“The council seems to be in retreat, withdrawing services like libraries and expecting overstretched rural communities to step in and run everything themselves. It’s not what people pay their Council Tax for. The communities I have spoken to are willing to discuss how services could be run differently in the future, but that can’t be a rushed conversation, there has to be respect and Culture Perth and Kinross must take the threat of imminent closure off the table first.”
Culture Perth and Kinross said last week: “We will do everything we can to maintain as much access to library services as possible, whilst addressing the significant financial savings we are required to make.
“To keep delivering services, we are exploring various options, such as community-led models, click-and-collect services, and expanded mobile library activities.
“Our commitment is to maintain as many library services as possible for…communities across Perth and Kinross, even within these challenging financial times.”