ACCESS TO PUBLIC SERVICES IN STONE

This is the report referred to in the Deputy Leader's Proposal reference 30/1/1.

1 Detail

1.1 Staffordshire County Council is considering relocating the Stone Town Library to more suitable accommodation. Elsewhere in the County, and notably at Cheadle in Staffordshire Moorlands District, the County has worked with the District Council to create a one-stop-shop providing access to library services and District Council services.

1.2 The County Council has informally approached the Chief Executive and Director of Housing and Environmental Services about this, and has also held discussions with the Stone Town Council.

1.3 The County Council's Officers have tentatively identified, in principle, three possible locations for such a facility in Stone, though this is not to rule out others;

1 the Frank Jordan Centre (owned by the Borough Council and currently managed by the Stone Town Council);

2 the Borough Council premises at Station Road (the Stone Area Office); and

3 a site owned by the British Waterways Board beside the Trent & Mersey Canal opposite the former Trent Hospital site (only part of the site would be available for this scheme with part possibly being developed by the British Waterways Board for other purposes).

1.4 A plan is attached as an Appendix showing these three locations numbered 1 to 3 as above. Ideally any premises would be as close as possible to the Town Centre so as to be most convenient for the public.

1.5 The County have asked whether this Council would consider the following points:

(i) would the Borough Council be prepared to enter into discussions in principle on a similar scheme for Stone;

(ii) would the Borough Council be prepared to consider in principle disposing of the Station Road premises to the County Council for use as premises for such a scheme;

(iii) would the Borough Council be prepared to consider in principle contributing funding to such a scheme from any disposal of its Station Road premises, any contribution to be commensurate with the accommodation within the scheme which the Council would require for its own services provided from the location;

(iv) what views might the Council have concerning the future use of the current Library were the Council to vacate those premises;

1.6 There are increasing pressures on all public sector service providers to work together for the benefit of their communities. Such a scheme as is envisaged here could help improve access to public services locally. The scheme is only at a formative stage at present but there is clear merit in this Council being a part of the process.