A B&NES Council Panel is set to review a decision made by the Cabinet last month which approved the Podium as the chosen site for the central Bath Library and integrated One Stop Shop. It will also scrutinise the proposed Community Approach to libraries, which would mean volunteers and community groups looking after local branch libraries, with support from the Council.

Both Labour and the Lib-Dems have ‘called-in’ this decision, asking for a breakdown of the expenditure costs and the proposed savings. They also state that there has been no open, public consultation on the issue of co-location of Bath Library and the One Stop Shop and if evidence has been presented about the practicality of co-location, its benefits and disadvantages.

Opposition parties also say that it is unclear whether the project is deliverable or sustainable, given various lease arrangements, which they claim have not yet been resolved.

In terms of the Community Library Approach, critics claim the report fails to identify the impact on current mobile libary users, how sustainable it is to expect local groups to take on the running of branch libraries and how it would be funded; a lack of consultation and no financial breakdown on savings or how the community model may work.

At the public meeting, which takes place on 13th November at 4.30 p.m. at the Guildhall Bath, the Scrutiny Panel will receive a statement from Cllr Karen Warrington, (Conservative, Clutton), Cabinet Member for Transformation and Customer Services, from Cllr Joe Rayment (Labour, Twerton) and Cllr Richard Samuel (Lib-Dem, Walcot).

Members of the public wishing to speak must have contacted Democratic Services on: 01225 394458 by 5 p.m. on Wednesday this week.