The large numbers of people signing a petition to keep all North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) libraries staffed have been encouraged by the efforts of inspired helpers from Whitby, Scarborough, Easingwold, Thirsk, Ripon and beyond, and campaigners in Bentham and Skipton.

NYCC – in Pickering again (on Saturday) – is also redoubling efforts to publicise the plans, including at Helmsley Town Hall at 7pm today (Wednesday), through to Skipton tomorrow. These will be among the final chances for people to speak on the proposals before the consultation ends on Sunday, February 8. We collect the petitions from January 27 and 28 until mid-week February 4.

The petition volunteers do not have the resources of the county council to put the plans across, but urge the public to fill in the NYCC forms, attend the briefings and sign petitions – whether the 38degress petition online Save North Yorkshire Libraries or write to the press.

Locations for signing in the Ryedale are: Pickering – Morlands, Memorial Hall, TV House, Reeds, Wine Bar; Malton – Dickens of a Deli, Hoppers; Norton – Pet Shop and Studio 7 hair salon; Kirkby-moorside – Towlers Pharmacy, Wainds Butchers, Memorial Hall on Wednesday mornings, Penny Bank café, Bridget’s café, King’s Head; Helmsley – Brookes News, Nice Things Café, Cut Price Books, Post Office.

John Dean, Beadlam

 

• I live in Pickering and I am concerned that very few residents are aware of the pending issue of which library will be core and which will be hybrid. It seems that North Yorkshire County Council has at last acknowledged this failing and has today, by way of recompense, two employees in the foyer of the Pickering Co-op, supposedly alerting residents as to the foregoing – a very soft shoe application if I may say.

The employees informed me that a discussion will take place at Monday’s Pickering Parish Council meeting. My hope is that you will have there a representative to report of the views expressed and subsequently give this news item a prominent display in your paper.

By this means, hopefully, alerting Pickering residents to the fact that they may be sleep-walking to a point where Pickering may at sometime in the future have their library closed.

M Jackson-Gould, Pickering