Library Board to be axed as council takes back control

Business as usual at Whanganui's library.

Whanganui's District Library Board is to be axed.

The Whanganui District Council could do the board's work more efficiently and plans to bring it "in-house", council library and archives manager Pete Gray said.

"The board necessitates significant duplication of activity and additional effort on part of library staff," he told Tuesday's Property and Community Services committee.

"It does not provide any additional accountability beyond that provided by the council committee reporting system, nor any efficiencies that can not be achieved by a fully in-house operation."

The board was set-up by council in the 1990s as one of a number of business units and has only two directors left. Former councillor Sue Westwood, a third board member, resigned last year.

Mr Gray said the remaining board members had agreed that dissolving the board was the right decision.

Several business units set-up around the same time have since been disestablished and services brought back in-house, Mr Gray said.

Library services would not change.

The board's fate will be decided at the next meeting of full council.