The cuts handed down from central Government were not pleasant. There is no getting away from the fact services will be affected. The trick is making sure these cuts have as little impact as possible.
One of the areas that have near £1.6 million of cuts over the next four years is Libraries and Customer Services. In other Authorities Libraries and Customer Service points have been simply closed. In Cornwall to avoid this heavy handed approach the Council looked into combining services into one building. I have no issue with this, as long as the service is still the same. In fact it makes perfect sense to cut building running costs by moving services into one building.
After much public consultation it has been decided that the following One Stop Shops (OSS) will be moved into these Libraries. These are Bodmin, Camelford, Hayle, Launceston, Redruth and St Ives. These moves will not be instant, but will take a few months to make sure the OSS utilise the space in the Libraries.
Now doubt some people will not be happy, but I say it is better to look at the best ways to keep a service than just simply cutting it. This for me is a sensible way forward when the alternative is far worse.
