Hundreds of people have signed a petition calling on county chiefs to quit over the Lincolnshire libraries “debacle”.
Campaigners against the move to close libraries, get rid of more than 100 mobile library stops and cut up to 170 jobs have set up the online petition asking for the county council’s executive “to do the decent thing by the residents of Lincolnshire and resign”.
Those behind the petition accuse the executive of misleading the electorate, mishandling the consultation and wasting taxpayers’ money.
The county council has had to go back to the drawing board over its plans to reshape the library service after the High Court set aside the original decision.
Campaigners had called for the judicial review due to what they claimed was the illegal nature of the consultation process as the decision had already been taken, the failure to deal with harm caused to people under the Equalities Act and the failure of the council’s plan to provide a comprehensive public library service under the Libraries Act.
Earlier this month portfolio holder for libraries Coun Nick Worth announced a further consultation would begin with the public later this year, but stood by the council’s original plans, which would save £1.9million.
The petition, available to sign at www.change.org, reads: “Those who are given the power to make decisions locally on behalf of those that voted them in should be responsible in terms of the way in which they use that power.
“Those on the Executive Committee of the Lincolnshire County Council have been proven via a Judicial Review to have misled their electorate and continue to deny this.
“Not only have the Executive Committee of Lincolnshire County Council, misled the public but they have also cost them a great deal of public monies, with both a fatally flawed consultation process and the failed defence of their position.
“For this reason they should hold themselves responsible and do the right thing, resign.”
In announcing a new consultation, Coun Worth said: “Importantly, the court ruling showed that our preferred model would meet our legal duties, and any others put forward for consideration would need to meet this critical requirement.
“They would also need to deliver the required savings.
“Much of the additional work will be aimed at finding out what other options we should consider before making a new decision in the early months of 2015.
“As ever, we will move forward with an open mind.”
