Private Eye magazine's Nooks & Corners architectural column takes up the story in its current issue of Southampton City Council's apparent investment of £99,000 to upgrade the heating system of “handsome and efficient modernistic building” Cobbett Road Library – one of five city libraries under threat of closure.
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The cost of maintaining Cobbett Road's part-time opening hours is just £52,000 a year.
“The freehold of the site was given to the council for a public library, but now it is assumed it will be sold to developers for housing. Council leader Simon Letts insists there are no plans for demolition and that the building will be kept for 'community use',” says Private Eye in issue no 1395 – which goes on to ask what better community use there could be than keeping it as a library.
The investment in new heating was revealed at a council meeting in March following a protest about libraries in the city centre.
Meanwhile, while the council says on its website the outcome of its consultation over its proposed "transformation" of the library service is anticipated in July, we understand this timescale may have to be extended. A freedom of information request previously revealed that the cost for the council's external suppliers to produce the consultation, and then analyse and report on responses, is expected to come in at around £26,000.
The 'silent' protest in March against library closures snaked single-file from the Bargate to the civic centre
Radiator pic under CC2 by Liz West