PORT Macquarie-Hastings Council has been taken to task for claims the Port Macquarie Library is underfunded.
Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams said in fact the library would receive even more funding from the O’Farrell/Stoner Government.
“The library has been granted an additional $86,972 on top of its annual State Government allocation for the Imaginarium creative space project,” Ms Williams said.
“The funding will enable the development of an innovative technology and creative space for digital audio and video editing facilities.
“Considering this announcement as well as the significant increase in funding to the library by the government, I am a little perplexed Mayor Peter Besseling is now saying ‘State Government funding has fallen dramatically in recent years’.
“Mayor Besseling states that the ‘funding for libraries has now reached crisis point’ and yet despite meeting with him on at least six separate occasions over the past 12 months the issue of library funding has never once been raised.
“If he is seriously concerned about the future of our public libraries, I would have thought the first thing to do is to raise the matter with me.
“As usual my door is open and I only hope that in future the mayor on behalf of council and the community would take the opportunity to raise such important issues with me.”
