Council says its 'business as usual' for Raunds Library amid concerns of closure

In a post published on social media by ‘Raunds Library’ on Wednesday, November 27 informed reader its funding partner, Creating Tomorrow Trust faced ‘financial pressures and is having to leave the partnership’.

However, North Northants Council (NNC) later said the information was ‘misleading’, and requested that the post be taken down, as discussions between the CTT, RCLT, and the council concerning the library’s ‘future arrangements’ are currently ‘ongoing’.

Cllr Helen Howell, NNC deputy leader and executive member for sport, leisure, culture and tourism said: “Currently the library is run as a three-way partnership arrangement between North Northamptonshire Council, CTT and RCLT. “As there are ongoing discussions between all three parties about future arrangements, North Northamptonshire Council is disappointed that RCLT have put out this statement on social media. “It is not in the interests of effective partnership working for one partner to make statements about another without prior agreement. “The content of it is misleading, and as such, North Northamptonshire Council has formally requested that RCLT take the post down.”

NNC says Creating Tomorrow Trust has worked in conjunction with Raunds Community Library Trust to put forward a ‘viable business plan’ detailing how the Creating Tomorrow Trust intended to cover the costs of the property which houses the library and how it would run the library day to day alongside volunteers.

NNC, which owns the building, has leased Raunds library to Creating Tomorrow Trust since September 2022, and is hoping to reassure people that the the current partnerships remain in place.

The library is run on a day-to-day basis by a team of volunteers, and frequently used the facility to host free children's activities, local groups, a warm space for those in need, and free computer access, as well as the usual library services.