It has been revealed that the lease between the council and community-run Cobbett Road Library operator Awaaz FM has been terminated after about two years, with a charity now being offered an interim tenancy

 

The arrangement with community radio station Awaaz FM, which was confirmed by the council as the new operator of Cobbett Road Library in January 2024 after a protracted tendering process that began as far back as in March 2022, has ended.

Awaaz FM said it was because of “rising utilities costs”.

Now it’s understood that an “interim tenancy” until the summer has been offered to The Southampton Veterans Trust.

The registered charity has occupied what was previously the main library space since Awaaz took over. It is thought to have provided the bulk of the rental revenue to the operator, along with First Class Learning, which uses the library for tuition space.

Bitterne Park ward councillors Amanda Barnes-Andrews and Phil Webb with Ali Beg from Awaaz FM and Greg Dickson and Felix Pastor from Fiesta FM at Cobbett Road library, at a press call when the reopening of the library was announced in 2024. Photo: SCC

Prior to Awaaz successfully applying to run the library, it had been shut since the end of January 2021 when previous operator Social Care in Action pulled out.

On the Awaaz ‘era’, the Friends of Cobbett Road Library (FOCRL) said that “various matters caused concerns about the financial viability of the operation”, and as we reported, there was widespread worry last year when heating at the ‘Welcome Warm Space’ became ‘unavailable’ – “cut off and removed” according to FOCRL.

Awaaz FM did not respond directly to that claim, but did say the lease was ended “due to the rising utilities costs”.

The radio station commented: “Following the start of the Ukraine war, gas and electricity bills went up five-fold and unfortunately we got caught up in this and the financial challenges made it unsustainable for a volunteer organisation like ours.”

The Ukraine invasion began in February 2022. Energy prices rose sharply in the months that followed - The Guardian.

Awaaz added that the library remained open and was still being run by committed volunteers, with groups such as Southampton Veterans, Tai Chi and First Class Learning continuing to operate there. It said it was proud of the work done during its tenure, including helping the veterans and reopening Cobbett Road Library, and it thanked volunteers, council staff and community supporters for their help.

Awaaz said: “We regret that we have had to leave, but we will continue to promote the library and its activities on our platform.”

Southampton Veterans Trust and Southampton City Council have been contacted for comment. We’ll endeavour to update this piece if they respond.

The Friends of Cobbett Road Library said they will continue to work with partners “to further our wish for a safe, well-maintained thriving Community Library offering a range of activities and services to the local community”.