AN end to the long-running dispute over the future of Pershore Library could be in sight after the town council announced it was on the verge of buying the building.

Following a meeting on Monday, town clerk Ann Dobbins revealed that the town council had made a formal proposal to take ownership of the building in order to keep the library in the town centre.

It also plans to refurbish it. Mrs Dobbins said details of how much the library will cost to buy is currently confidential, but all will be revealed at a public meeting at Pershore Town Hall on Wednesday from 7pm. She said: “We want as many people as possible to come to the meeting to hear the details of our proposal to keep the library in the town centre, as per the wishes of the majority of people who responded to the consultation.

“Detailed work and costings of all the options have now been undertaken and these will be presented at the meeting. “However, the town council is pushing ahead for what has always been its preferred option. We hope that our proposal will be accepted by the county council and the opinion of residents is a very important part of this whole process.”

Worcestershire County Council says that its desire to relocate the Church Street library to the Civic Centre, off Station Road, is based on a need to generate savings of £1.8 million from library services over three years.

Neil Anderson, the council’s head of culture and community, previously said the £165,000 a year costs of running Pershore Library were “unsustainable”. The cost of repairing the building is believed to be in the region of £130,000.