In plans put forward as part of the Clay Cross Town Deal, our Clay Cross library had been set to relocate from its existing site in Kenning Park to a new extension of the Derbyshire Adult & Community Education Service (DACES) building off Bailey’s Square in the town centre.
The proposed move of the library was approved by the our Cabinet in July 2024, but in the intervening period concerns were raised around the achievability of the move, including fitting out the newly located library, with pressures on the funding available for the project from the Clay Cross Town Deal programme.
In addition, further challenges to the proposed move arose due to changes to the way DACES is funded. A public consultation into the future delivery of DACES has only recently closed and a decision on this is expected in the next few months.
Due to these concerns, last December our Cabinet considered a further report into the library move which included a recommendation to discontinue work on the library relocation, and it was decided to delegate a final decision to senior council officers and the relevant Cabinet members.
The decision to discontinue work on the relocation has now been made and Council Leader Councillor Alan Graves has written to the Clay Cross Town Deal Board via North East Derbyshire District Council to inform them.
Our Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Dawn Taylor said:
“It was right that more consideration was given to the planned relocation of the library as it was clear that the funding available from the Town Deal programme for a full refit in its new location was not going to meet our expectations. We also needed to consider the funding changes to DACES and the consultation.
“I welcome that a decision has now been made, and we will work to ensure Clay Cross is served by the best library service we can provide. We are open to other viable options to move the library to a more central position in the future.’’
Our Cabinet Member for Business Services Councillor Stephen Reed said:
“We have notified the Clay Cross Town Deal Board of the Council’s decision and asked that the library works be removed from the Town Deal programme. We hope that this decision will allow the remaining elements of the programme to be confirmed and successfully concluded.
“While a decision has been made to keep the library at Kenning Park for now, we are continuing to explore options for the future which could include a move into the town centre, which we believe would help to future-proof it, increase footfall and make it more accessible to all.
“As a council we continue to support the ambitions of the Clay Cross Town Deal programme which we believe will deliver much-needed improvements to the residents and businesses of Clay Cross, and we remain committed to working with the Town Deal Board and North East Derbyshire District Council.’’