A COUNCILLOR has slammed a decision to send a mobile library to a village with its own library as ‘bureaucracy gone mad’.

Dorset county councillor Ron Coatsworth wants answers as to why the mobile library goes to Burton Bradstock when it has a community-led library of its own.

Coun Coatsworth put the question to the cabinet member for community services Coun Hilary Cox.

He said: “Could I please to be told the reasons why, when the library in Burton Bradstock becomes a community library in the near future... it will be necessary to station a mobile library in the village approximately once a fortnight?”

Coun Coatsworth said he wanted to shed light on the ridiculous restrictions faced by the council.

He said: “This must be the most fantastic example ever of bureaucracy gone mad.

“Sending a mobile library to a village which already has an enhanced service in order to satisfy the rigid requirements of the law at a time when we are reducing our staff, and reducing services.

“It is the kind of action which sunk the Byzantium Empire and I am firmly against it.”

Coun Coatsworth was told the council’s strategic plan for libraries agreed on the provision of mobile library services to the nine communities the county council had withdrawn funding from – and that includes Burton Bradstock.

A spokesman for the county council said: “The county council was advised some of the community may find the mobile library service convenient as a local access point to the county council's library service and that this service would be for a trial period.

“In coming to a conclusion, the council had to consider an equalities impact assessment, which includes consideration of rurality.

“It was assessed that the provision of a mobile library service provided some mitigation of impact.

“It is perhaps worth noting that some other councils which sought to remove or reduce their mobile library services have been subject to successful judicial review.

“A decision to withdraw the service will therefore be made when local people have had the opportunity to experience the community-managed service and a mobile library service.”