Conservative drift and dither has left Hereford without a main library for years

The Conservatives in charge of Herefordshire Council closed the county's central library in Broad Street for the last time three years ago. Since then Herefordshire's main library has been delivered from temporary buildings. It has now been revealed that the temporary arrangements will continue for at least another year if not longer.

The library had been planned to relocate to Maylord Orchards. In 2023 the Conservatives decided to install the library in the Shirehall. A building that was and remains closed. The Council now says it needs to spend £8.7M to get the Shirehall into a fit state to open. And the building work is not expected to start until summer 2027.

Hereford has a temporary library based in the Town Hall. This is a building that the council itself considers unsuitable for a library.

Leader of the LibDem group on Herefordshire Council Cllr Terry James said:

"What the Conservatives don't understand is that it's not enough to have an idea. Councillors need to work hard to make sure that their plans are delivered. I'm afraid that the Cabinet has taken its eye completely off the ball and left the city and the county with a temporary library for years."

"I recognise that the library staff are doing their very best to make the Town Hall as good a library as possible. But it's not what the Conservatives promised and the Conservatives are the only people responsible for that."

"How much longer with Herefordshire have to limp on without a permanent central library? Given their track record I don't expect the Conservatives will meet their revised deadlines. So it may be many years before the Shirehall is open and working as a library."

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