Rescue plan considered for music and drama library

A plan has been revealed that could save services provided by a music and drama library earmarked for closure.

The Performing Arts Library, based in Bessemer Road, Welwyn Garden City, lends out orchestral scores, choral works and play scripts, and also provides material written for schools.

It serves about 230 groups but Hertfordshire County Council is planning to close it to save £230,000.

The authority says music scores could be distributed by a charity, and ordinary libraries could handle drama scripts.

More than half of those who responded to a consultation said their costs would increase if the library was shut down.

The council said earlier this year that it was proposing to scrap the service following a £46m-a-year reduction in government funding for Hertfordshire.

Performing arts groups said they relied on the library and that the cost of sourcing the material commercially would put some of them at risk of folding.

James Ross, conductor of the Welwyn Garden City Orchestra and Chorus, said: "I think some groups may close down and for others, they're going to be spending a lot more money from what are inevitably very limited budgets on music hire."

A report to a cabinet panel meeting on 14 July said there were 721 orders for musical material and 342 for drama in 2025, placed by 162 music groups and 54 drama societies.

It said "many choirs, orchestras and drama societies would be unable to continue at all" if the library closed, and "smaller, volunteer-run and older-person groups are seen as particularly vulnerable".

But Chris Lucas, who holds the resources portfolio on the Liberal Democrat-controlled council, said: "We are looking to work with a Hertfordshire-based charity in order to maintain the music collection."

The report named the charity as Benslow Music, and said drama scripts could be made available through the Hertfordshire Libraries Reading Group Collection, which lends books to reading groups.

Ian Albert, a Labour councillor, said: "Benslow Music, in my town of Hitchin, is a wonderful organisation that creates music learning opportunities for all ages.

"But the details of the agreement between the county council and Benslow Music must be subject to further consideration and scrutiny before the final decision is made."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said no date had been set for a decision by the council's cabinet.

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