‘Use it or lose it’ says Mirfield councillor

Mirfield Library is under threat as part the proposed cuts, which would leave Dewsbury as the nearest remaining public library.

Coun Kath Taylor (Con, Mirfield) believes the council will not listen to the town unless it makes its voice heard.

“The library is the fourth most well-attended in Kirklees, and it has a variety of uses,” she said.

“It is a place where people can meet, and where they can use the internet. But there are also other things the library could be used for that we should look into.”

While she said Mirfield Town Council would help in any way it could if the library was shut, she stressed that it could simply not afford to run it in its current form.

She said: “If push comes to shove, Mirfield Town Council will do what it can, but we can’t afford the costs of running it.”

She called on people in the town to make their voices heard, as this was the only way to have a chance of keeping the service for the community.

“If we are going to keep anything, people need to stand up and be counted,” she said. “We need to let Kirklees Council know what is important to us.”

She also suggested that, should more services be cut by Kirklees, the Town Council would need more help from the public.

She said: “If we are going to help run services in future, we need more help from the public. We can’t just have the same few people in Mirfield doing everything.”