Hundreds sign petition to save 'irreplaceable' library

Hundreds have signed a petition to save Auchterarder Library from closure.

Earlier this month residents from under-threat Auchterarder, Birnam, Comrie and Scone came together to launch the Save our Rural Libraries campaign.

Now an online petition on change.org to prevent Auchterarder’s “irreplaceable community hub” from being lost has amassed over 600 signatures in less than a week.

It was started by Debbie Harley who is urging PKC to reconsider proposed closures.

She said: “Libraries across Perthshire are at serious risk of closure, to be replaced by either inadequate mobile libraries or nothing at all.

“But libraries have a significance beyond book lending; it is an irreplaceable community hub.

“As regular library users we have seen first hand how our library services have benefited people across different age groups and backgrounds – from young learners nurturing their reading skills, to older generations who find company and shared interests in its comfortable surroundings.

“British libraries not only serve as an essential provider of free reading materials for over 7.5 million people but also play a crucial role in encouraging involvement in public affairs and improved wellbeing.

“Closing Auchterarder Library would deny our community access to these valuable resources and harm our town and surrounding areas.

“It is our responsibility to save it as a place of learning, exploration, and community connection.

“Please join us in urging Perth and Kinross Council to reconsider the proposed closures, and secure the future of Auchterarder Library – If you care, please sign our petition today.”

Petitioners have described libraries as “vital” and the “backbone of a community”.

Frances Spencer said: “Books are a joy. Children have their eyes opened to stories which they don’t have at home. And a great deal more. Adults can try new authors. Every town should have a library.”

Dawn Smith said: “I believe all communities should have a library. They are places for the community – adults and children – to access reading materials as well as a host of other essential services. Libraries are a hub of the community.”

Fi Mac added: “This is more than just a place for books. It’s a safe, cosy space for learning, reading, making contact with others. We get more houses while the council rips the life out of our services and our community.”

Culture Perth and Kinross – which operates the area’s libraries on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council – has previously said: “The final decision on whether to close or not close any library in Perth and Kinross sits with Perth and Kinross Council.”

At the start of December, Perth and Kinross Council voted to endorse a three-year indicative council tax strategy increasing council tax by 10 per cent in 2025/26, 10 per cent in 2026/27 and six per cent in 2027/28. Following the vote, council leader Grant Laing said the strategy could give councillors the “flexibility” to reconsider its previous funding decision on library provision.

Cllr Laing said: “I believe that the approach we are taking locally will also give us the flexibility to reconsider difficult decisions that we have made in the past. I do consider library provision one of those difficult decisions, but given the range of services provided directly or indirectly by council funding we need to follow through the whole budget process to ensure that the decisions are based on overall need, rather than individual demands in isolation.

“The principle that councils cannot continue to deliver everything we always have in exactly the same way we always have remains true, and I would encourage communities to continue to engage in the consultation process with Culture Perth and Kinross so that all of the opportunities for how libraries can be provided locally can continue to be explored.”