A proposal to work with the community to bring Grimsby Central Library back into use has been unanimously accepted.
The Library Select Committee met on Monday 2 February to discuss the future of the facility, which has been closed since March 2025.
The proposal, put forward by Labour Group Leader Councillor Emma Clough and seconded by Councillor Robson Augusta, called for a workshop day bringing together council officers, councillors and local people to explore solutions. It was intended as the beginning of a cooperative approach between community stakeholders and the council to return the library to the heart of the community.
A packed meeting gave councillors and members of the public the opportunity to share ideas and hear directly from community leaders.
Speaking at the meeting, Angela Greenfield and Kerry Henderson, who have long campaigned to secure a future for the library, addressed the committee on behalf of the Civic Society.
Angela said, “I’m here to represent thousands of residents. The Grimsby Central Library must be restored, reopened, and returnedto the people. This is a building that is woven into the lives of generations. Last year, when that threat became real, we took to the streets to gather the 500 signatures we needed to spark the debate. We didn’t get those 500 signatures. Instead, we’ve got nearly 5,000. And we could easily double or even treble that figure.”
She continued, “You cannot quantify a library in terms of money. It’s for everyone, regardless of background or preference.”
Angela challenged the council, “We heard at the last select committee that we are still at the beginning of the process. Why? Why, when the library has been closed for nearly a year, are we only now at the beginning? It is difficult not to suspect that this is deliberate.”
Kerry Henderson spoke next, outlining the history of the library from its founder, Mr Bannister, through to the current building, which was constructed in 1968 after the original library was bombed during the war.
She argued that the building ranks alongside some of the most significant examples of twentieth-century architecture, including The Barbican, the Post Office Tower and the National Theatre.
“It is a hugely significant building, not just for us, but nationally,” she said.
Neil Cartwright from the Friends of Grimsby Library was the next to speak. He reviewed the council’s consultation data and outlined the group’s own findings.
He said, “Our online group, and the wider community around, has grown from 400 members to over 1,600. These numbers also continue to grow, showing the strength of local feeling about this unique building and what it means for our community.”
Consultation data showed that 65% of respondents were in favour of keeping the library within its current building.
Neil said, “People do not see the library as a standalone service. They see it as a connected civic space that brings together library services, archives and local history, exhibition and gallery space, meeting rooms, and a cafe. There is a clear expectation that these elements should work together as a coherent core, not as disconnected functions. There is also a strong theme around connection to place. People want a setting where they can research family history and the history of the borough.”
He continued, “A place that supports learning, curiosity, and aspiration across generations, a place where the community can come together for meetings, events, and performances. A building flooded with Wi-Fi to enable seamless access. A building that is ruthlessly efficient.”
Neil urged the council to work in partnership with the group to secure funding.
He said, “The council should work with us as equal partners to bring in external capital funding, heritage funding, cultural funding, regeneration funding, and decarbonisation funding. A cocktail funding, with a local authority working in partnership with the community. So the full cost of refurbishment does not fall solely on the North East Lincolnshire Council coffers.”
Councillor Henderson, who spoke not in his role as a councillor, but as a resident, drew on his professional experience of writing and reviewing business cases for multimillion-pound projects.
He said, “When I looked at the papers that have been presented in respect to the central library, I feel there’s an overemphasis on costs, and an underemphasis on value and benefit.”
Councillor Henderson cited research from the University of East Anglia showing that libraries generate £3.6 billion in value each year across the UK through direct and indirect economic benefits.
He said, “This means that the economic benefit to North East Lincolnshire is 9.9 million pounds of value annually because of the direct and indirect benefits to the economy. There’s a pivotal role for the Central Library in the economic regeneration of our town centre, and the library has the ability to attract funding.”
Summing up the mood of the meeting, a spokesperson for the Labour Group said the strength of feeling from residents was impossible to ignore, praising the passion, knowledge and pride shown by those who spoke in support of the library.
They said: “This was local people standing up for something that matters. Not just a building, but a shared space that belongs to everyone… It is important that we continue to work together.”
(Image: APS Drones)
Roy Horobin
Joined the Gi Grimsby News team in 2025.