THERE was unanimous support for the Ross Library Development Group who sparked a debate at Herefordshire Council after collecting 7,000 signatures on a petition.

Clare West spoke at the meeting of Herefordshire Council on Friday, December 18th.

She said, “I am here to represent the people of Ross and HR9, South Herefordshire, as this is the only library in that part of the county, the people of Herefordshire at large – since Ross Library is a crucial part of the county library infrastructure holding 25% of the stock at any one time – and visitors who see access to a library as a useful part of their visit, and an indicator of the quality of the region.”

Councillor Harry Bramer, who is a member of the cabinet, responded to the petition. He said, “The feedback from the budget consultation shows that the community strongly supports a library service.”

He suggested that the Council reponded to the petition saying that they would work closely with local Library Development Groups to ensure the sustainability of the library service.

Councillor Jenny Hyde, a Ross County Councillor said that they must protect ‘such a valuable asset’.

Another local Councillor, Phil Cutter also agreed with the retention of the library for Ross and the other market towns.