Council responds to library shutting for The Coro events

The Coro has been used as a temporary library space since the building on King's Road was closed last year due to issues with the electrics during routine statutory checks.

On Friday June 7, the library was closed between 11am and 2pm due to an event taking place in the building. The library closed for four days over the May bank holiday due to Printfest taking place in the The Coro. 

Residents have labelled the closures, announced on social media, as 'ridiculous.' Ali Kyle said on the Ulverston Town Council page: "[It's] one of the many reasons we need Westmorland and Furness to reopen our library on King's Road. It is not appropriate to have conflicting usage of the Supper Room."

A spokesperson from Westmorland and Furness Council said: "Based on bookings for 2022 and 2023, for the rest of 2024 we estimate there will be no more than six days where promoters of some of these larger regular events may be looking to book to use the whole building, including the Supper Room, on dates that could potentially coincide with days when the temporary library is scheduled to be open all day.

"We will be talking to those promoters to understand their exact requirements, as some of the events/performances may be in the evening only and therefore outside the normal opening hours of the temporary library.

"As the Supper Room is a fully flexible space, the temporary library could potentially still be used for at least part of the day and then packed away to facilitate the event needs in the evening, such as access to the Supper Room bar area, meaning any impact on the temporary library service would be minimised."

Regarding the King's Road building, the spokesperson said: "The council will soon be starting community engagement on the long-term proposals for the library service in Ulverston. We had hoped to have this work under way during June but, due to pre-election restrictions, this will now commence following the General Election.’’