The leader of Dundee City Council says a claim made in Holyrood that Kirkton Library will be shut down is a “shameful lie”.
At First Minister’s Questions, Dundee-based Labour MSP Michael Marra told Nicola Sturgeon the authority plans to shut the building.
He went on to repeat the concerns about its future on social media.
In an angry response, city leader John Alexander strenuously denied the claim and said Kirkton will not be left in a situation where it has no library to rely on.
Accusations of closure
Speaking in Holyrood, Mr Marra asked Ms Sturgeon: “What does the first minister have to say to the young people of Kirkton in Dundee, an area of deep deprivation in which the level of attainment is among the lowest in Scotland, whose attainment funding the SNP government is cutting by 79% while the SNP-led council is closing the library?”
In response, the first minister said: “The decisions that we have taken on attainment funding are in recognition of the fact that there is deprivation in all parts of the country.
“Those changes to the allocation of the attainment fund were fully supported by COSLA, including the member’s colleagues on it.
“As I said earlier, we support school libraries through the school library improvement fund, and we will continue to do so.”
Future for Kirkton Library promised
Afterwards Mr Marra wrote on social media: “Despite my direct question the first minister had no real answers for the young people of Kirkton in Dundee who are looking at the prospect of a 79% cut in their attainment funding [and] the SNP council closing their library.
We need to call our lie's…
Kirkton will NOT be in a position where it has no library. That is a shameful lie.
Just like when he told the community that the Lynch was to be demolished, it was a lie. We worked with @streetsoccerSCO & now have the Change Centre. https://t.co/FNjx6RRna7
— Councillor John Alexander (@CllrAlexander) April 21, 2022
“Dundee deserves better.”
However John Alexander has publicly refuted the claims, saying the library in Kirkton will not be shutting its doors.
Mr Alexander described it as a “lie”.
He responded: “Kirkton will not be in a position where it has no library.
“That is a shameful lie.”
A Scottish Labour source later said: “This is extremely odd behaviour from the leader of the SNP group.
“His administration have an official policy that they passed at council committee to close Kirkton Library and to try and open a local school library to the public instead.
“When is closing a library not closing a library?
“When it’s a ‘bold and ambitious’ SNP wheeze.”