Dear Editor,

I was both horrified and amazed to discover in your issue dated 5/8/15 that our library is, yet again, under threat. I thought that the tax payer had recently spent money on extending this beautiful space, which has become a cultural and civic heart beating in the centre of Ross.

As a recently elected Councillor, I am perplexed at the cultural, heritage and civic policy of our powers that be. It strikes me as utterly laughable that, as a member of the Planning and Development Committee, I am asked for my opinion on the building of 250 new dwellings in Ross... only to discover the next day that there are plans to take away the very features which could attract families to Ross. There appears to be little long-term vision, commitment or policy. Who would be mad enough to invest in property in a town without basic cultural facilities? Not me!

Do we, as a community, really wish to sign a death warrant for Ross by declaring Education, Art and Culture unwelcome? Do we really wish to decrease footfall in our town centre, thus depriving local businesses of potential custom, for the sake of short-term gain? Of course, not. We need a cross-party, long-term, win-win project for Ross.

I welcome, with joy, the idea of a University in Hereford. I do, however, feel angry at my four-year-old not being able to go to a local library she has been attending since she was weeks old and which remains a lifeline for our fellow citizens wishing to either make job applications or write home. Need we re-christen our town Dormitory-on-Wye?

I hope, deeply, that sanity will prevail and wish to invite all our citizens to express their views on the matter by filling in the Priorities and Budget Consultation 2016-2020 either online or at the library.

Councillor Joanna Jennings