Among other things, this month's Caradon Community Network Area Panel will be hearing Cornwall Council's plans for future library services. You probably know that because of budget cuts the mobile library service has already been cancelled for St Ive and reduced for Pensilva to monthly visits. Cornwall Council are limited by a ceiling of 2% on council tax increases, unless they call a referendum, and who seriously thinks a majority would vote for increasing taxes? So when central government cut their funding, because of austerity measures, Cornwall Council have no option but to cut services. We have already seen Cornwall Council close some public toilets, and then to make it fair across the whole of Cornwall, pass all public toilets over to town and parish councils to maintain. They know that town and parish councils do not yet have a 2% ceiling on the increase to local taxation, so the precept you pay as part of your council tax is still totally under the control of the parish council. The obvious strategy for Cornwall Council is to try and pass as many services as possible over to your parish council. The only limitation Cornwall Council have is the services that the law compels them to provide, but even then there is wriggle room. The law says that Cornwall Council have to provide a library service, but it doesn't say what size. If Cornwall Council decided to close all libraries except for the one in Truro opening one day a week, it wouldn't necessarily be against the law. It might be against the law, and I'm sure cuts that severe would be challenged in court, but it could only be decided in court, there are no current legal standards. Our current local libraries are Callington, Upton Cross and Liskeard and I hope they are all retained. For those in Pensilva, Millennium House also has an informal book lending service where people in the community have donated books that anyone can borrow. I hope we don't have to fall back on this sort of self help provision for other services that Cornwall Council provide.
Don’t forget the parish
website st-ive-parishcouncil.gov.uk with council meeting agendas and
minutes; also downloadable copies of the Parish Pump. For those of you
who do Facebook, our St Ive Parish Council page is still being updated
with parish news. Phone me, email me on martin.corney@btinternet.com or
"martin corney blog st ive" in search engines will find my blogs for you
to comment on this article and other gems.
