Chief Minister Howard Quayle has refused to give his backing to the government saving the Family Library.

The Family Library and associated Mobile Library and schools service have been run by a charity since the government axed the services during a round of funding cuts nine years ago.

Mr Quayle told the House of Keys this week that while he supported taxpayers’ money being used to keep the Mobile Library and schools services operations, he could not support government paying to keep the actual Family Library itself - based just off Westmoreland Road in Douglas - because there was an option for it to merge with Douglas Council’s Henry Bloom Noble Library in Duke Street.

Mr Quayle said a working party report included options for the future structure of libraries in th island and it would be put out for consultation. It would be for the next administration to decide.

’I personally fully support the Mobile Library because of social inclusion, social isolation, people in the countryside who cannot get out and about and the fact it goes around all the schools etc,’ he said.

But that did not apply to the Family Library operation.

’I cannot support, personally, the further funding of taxpayers’ money for a service that can be relocated,’ he said.

’Tough decisions will have to be made by Tynwald on this. Tynwald agreed to fund the Family and Mobile Library for a period of two years at £125,000 per annum, which was fund-matched by a benefactor.

’A further £125,000 was committed to between August 2019-August 2020 with a commitment made by the Family and Mobile Library to look for a sustainable future funding model.’

Other support was given through vehicle maintenance and a ’peppercorn rent’ for the Family Library building, said Mr Quayle.

He said: ’Despite requests for information no evidence has been provided to confirm that as a registered charity they are actively seeking funding elsewhere.’

Mr Quayle said a ’significantly higher number of people’ used the Henry Bloom Noble Library. He said he was ’led to believe’ the Family Library was offered a merger but declined..

’Our public libraries are funded through local authority rates and they are well supported,’ he said. ’There are six public libraries around the island.

’Government are looking at how a mobile library, which has the potential to reach more remote areas of the island and support those with limited mobility, could work alongside existing public libraries, but this needs to be done with a clear service level agreement agreed and going through the correct service commissioning channels.’

Last month, the Family Library said nine jobs would go and the service would be disbanded if help could not be found.

The charity requires an annual budget of £250,000 to operate.

It said it was undertaking an urgent review to consider its options, up to and including the closure of all existing services which would affect nearly 2,000 subscribers across the island.