COUNCIL chiefs have upheld a decision to re-locate Ulverston’s library service despite a consultation being labelled ‘not fair’ or ‘transparent’.

Members of the cabinet for Westmorland and Furness Council ratified the decision to move the library service from the King’s Road building into Coronation Hall at a meeting on October 15.

This comes after the communities and environment scrutiny committee had asked the authority to reconsider its decision.

READ MORE: Ulverston library: Council told to reconsider decision to move service

Council leader councillor Jonathan Brook (Kendal South, Lib Dems) told the cabinet the authority takes the conclusions of the scrutiny committee ‘seriously’.

Cllr Brook said: “Having reviewed the details of the consultation and the report considered by cabinet on September 10, 2024, we are satisfied that the consultation carried out was fair and transparent.

“As a responsible authority it is crucial that we live within our means and that does mean having to make difficult decisions on the best use of public money. Such decisions clearly won’t always be popular, and on any decision, there are different perspectives.

“That is why as a council our commitment to consultation and engagement is vital to us. It allows us to make informed choices based on robust information.”

Following the scrutiny committee decision, the cabinet approved a proposal for the local authority to develop a general framework and set of standards around the conduct of consultation to inform future work.

The council also committed to carrying out additional engagement with key stakeholders to further articulate the outcome of the library and Coronation Hall options appraisal process and why some options were discarded.

MP for Barrow and Furness Michelle Scrogham previously told the scrutiny committee at a meeting with GlaxoSmithKline she had asked about the possibility of leaving a ‘lasting legacy’ for Ulverston with a GSK library and they were ‘very pleased’ to support the proposal.

Cllr Brook told the cabinet the authority is seeking clarity about the £2 million donation from GSK and will continue to request formal confirmation of it and any conditions attached to it.

READ MORE: Michelle Scrogham and council clash over Ulverston Library

Speaking after the meeting, lead call in member councillor Andy Coles (Risedale and Roosecote, Labour) said: “By confirming the September decision, the Lib Dem cabinet have ridden roughshod over the concerns of the Ulverston community which were backed up by the scrutiny committee decision last week.”

At the scrutiny committee meeting, councillor Beverly Morgan (Ormsgill and Parkside, Labour) called the consultation on the library proposals ‘more of an information sharing process’ which involved ‘telling, not listening’.

Cllr Morgan previously said: “I don’t believe it was a consultation exercise in the true sense of any quality and has been riddled with pitfalls of poor communication.”

Cabinet member for sustainable communities and localities councillor Virginia Taylor previously said: “In this consultation, we did not offer choices which we could not fund.

“As a responsible authority, we have to live within our means, plan for the future and demonstrate value for money in everything we do and so the consultation provided views only on option seven as the preferred option.”

Cllr Taylor told the committee that inviting views on other options which did not meet the key objectives would have been ‘misleading and misrepresentative’

Members of cabinet upheld their initial decision on October 15 at the Marchesi Centre in Windermere.