Rural book-lovers have branded an Angus Council mobile library ”decrepit” after revealing they face being without a service until January 9.
Residents in Edzell have had to rely on a book bus since the local authority opted to shut the local library at Inglis Memorial Hall in March last year.
Since the start of this month, the vehicle has visited the village for just four hours, and it has now been confirmed there will be no access until January 9.
Ann Smedley of Edzell Library Action Group (ELAG) said: ”As far as Edzell is concerned, ELAG feel strongly that the village has hardly been treated equitably. Staff hours in Brechin Library amount to 157.75 hours per week, while we have had only two hours per week in a decrepit library van when it has been able to come parked outside the A-listed Inglis Memorial Hall.
“Now we are to have nothing for a couple of months. Between the beginning of November and January 9, Edzell will have received in total just four hours library service.”
Mrs Smedley said the community would be putting its case for the lending library to be reinstated at Inglis Memorial Hall when a meeting is held with a council representative on December 8.
She claimed the council had committed to providing three new vans of varying sizes, that were yet to appear.
”The council have sometimes spoken of three, sometimes two vans,” she said. ”Two were eventually ordered and were due for delivery in November this year. Now library users have been informed that there will be no more mobile library service until January 9 next year.”
Mrs Smedley said the older vans currently in use had been off the road ”intermittently” over the past few weeks.
ELAG want to see the local hall reopened as a library, and have come up with a range of suggestions to staff the facility, including part-time opening.
Angus Council claims there is a ”continuing commitment” to rural library services across the county and that a ”revised and enhanced” mobile service will be launched in the new year.
A spokeswoman said: ”We do apologise for the recent inconvenience to users of the mobile library service in some areas, given that the library van serving Edzell required essential repairs, and that this vehicle, along with the other library van, is now being prepared for return to the leasing company.
”The mobile library service is usually suspended from the week before Christmas until after the new year holiday period, but in this instance to facilitate the changeover, prepare the new vehicles and train staff, normal service will be disrupted during December.
”Every effort has been made to inform regular users of the mobile library services of the disruption and that the new vehicles will be brought into service in early January.”
Library users have been encouraged to take out a larger number of books than usual to cover the festive period.
The spokeswoman added: ”Users have been invited to contact the library service if they require more books and we will make arrangements to assist with these requests wherever possible.
”There will be an extra delivery of book requests to Edzell before Christmas. In addition, library users can borrow books from any branch libraries in Angus.
”There have been some delays in the delivery of the new library vehicles, but we are now on target for a launch early in the new year.”
Rural communities form a third of the population in Angus, and the council has a statutory duty to provide a satisfactory library service for all.