'Delay & waste at Hungerford library cause for concern' - Gaines & Mole

12.00.00am GMT Thu 1st Mar 2007

The lights are on but no-one is home at Hungerford Library...

In an open letter to the Tory Executive Member for Libraries, Hungerford councillors Denise Gaines and James Mole have raised concerns, highlighted errors and delays in the construction of the new Hungerford Library.

Both central heating and lights have been left on in the old library unit and public toilets, now closed and awaiting demolition.

"I have made enquiries and was informed that the utility company will not disconnect the services to these empty buildings until at least the middle of March", explained Councillor Gaines. "Therefore no work can take place until this happens which explains why work on site has ground to a halt. This Tory administration has been delaying work on Hungerford's new library since August 2006 which is plenty of time to pre-book a disconnection. This smacks of incompetence and mismanagement and is totally unacceptable."

Councillor Mole was equally disappointed by the Tory administration's laid back approach to the library scheme and commented:

"The costly use of electricity in keeping the vacant buildings lit and heated for over a month violates this council's policies of economy and environmental concern and constitutes a flagrant waste of resources. Our open letter insists on an explanation as to why the Tories are not on top of this delay, and questions how this unacceptable situation has arisen".