Scores of people were at a community rally in The Entrance on Tuesday, March 9, to voice their anger about the loss of essential services in the township and plans to close the local library.
The Entrance MP, David Mehan, said two banks had already abandoned the town and he was outraged by the news that Central Coast Council was planning to close The Entrance library.
He said he spoke to Acting CEO, Rik Hart, on Friday, March 5, who told him the library would be closed, but in another conversation on Monday, March 8, Hart said Council might reconsider.
Council still declined to officially confirm or deny the closure before publication of the Chonicle.
“I put my view that it was unfair and it seemed to contradict what they (Council) were telling me in terms of their commitment to maintain services,” Mehan said.
“I’m hoping that when Council sees the community opposition, they will reconsider and change their mind because if they close the library, not only will the community lose a library, they will be left without all the other Council services that this facility offers to the public,” he said.
“These are services such as: payment for rates water and sewerage services; animal registrations; internet and computer access for those who don’t have such luxury at home; viewing of Council plans and policies; lodging a general inquiry to Council; and, book clubs, knitting groups and mindfulness groups in the library.
“The Administrator publicly stated that he would not be seeking to cut Council services, however, if this library shuts its doors that is exactly what will occur.
“The community doesn’t want to see these facilities vanishing,” Mehan said.
“You can’t drag everything away to the centre, you have to have services in the various branches of the Central Coast because we are so spread out,” he said.
“I won’t accept that my constituents will have to travel to Wyong or Gosford; we want those services in this area.
“I have written to Council seeking its commitment to keep the library open so that the community and local business operators can continue to use this valuable service,” Mehan said.
“What government needs to realise is that government offices cause people to visit an area and while they’re there, they do other things, like have lunch, a cup of coffee, buy their groceries.
“Once you lose a couple of government businesses, a couple of essential services like banking close, people will stop visiting an area and that’s bad for all business overall.”
Mehan said that already, The Entrance township has suffered with Westpac closing both its branches and removing its ATM, while the Commonwealth Bank was still in limbo on re-opening its branch.
“I guess the good news is that the bank is still considering its position while it is still temporarily closed,” he said.
“That’s why the community is out here today, to show the bank that they really need this bank to stay.
“Banking is an essential service, there’s a lot of people that bank with the Commonwealth.
“First the banks; and it appears that now Council is abandoning The Entrance community,” Mehan said.
Sue Murray
I am very disappointed that the Council is considering closing The Entrance Library. The library is an important community asset that is well used by many, especially our older and less well off residents. It seems to continue the pattern of our old Wyong Shire residents being disadvantaged by the merger with Gosford that was forced on us by the State Liberal government.