CAMPAIGNERS are continuing their battle against any erosion of services at Keighley Library.

A petition signed by more than 1,800 people went before an online meeting of Bradford Council.

It was presented by Jane Lee, who chairs the Friends of Keighley’s Carnegie Library.

She said the North Street building was the first public Carnegie library and was a vital part of the town centre.

“A full, transparent, public and wide-ranging study should be carried out to establish a secure financial future for our library in Keighley and all the other libraries in the Bradford district,” she said.

There was criticism at the meeting of the £420,000 Bradford Council pays each year to rent space for City Library.

The city-centre library moved into a unit, overlooking the mirror pool, in 2013.

It was previously based in what is now Margaret Macmillan Tower, but that building was condemned as a fire risk in 2011 and was dealt a further blow in 2013 when asbestos was found.

The old library has since been refurbished and is home to the council’s children’s services department.

The £420,000 annual rent had been a huge strain on the library budget, but last year the council revealed that the lease costs had been moved to other budget pots and would no longer “weigh down” the stretched library budget.

Keighley Central councillor Zafar Ali congratulated the Friends of Keighley’s Carnegie Library on organising the petition.

“I wholeheartedly support the efforts to retain the full range of services offered in what is a very important amenity for the people of Keighley and surrounding areas,” he said.

“The population served by the library is large enough to warrant one with the full range of services – and it pains me that we have seen the services provided by it and many smaller libraries threatened and damaged in order to save relatively small amounts of money.

“It cannot be right to target the services of smaller libraries in the outer towns and villages in order to save peanuts, whilst signing-up to a £420,000 per annum lease for the housing of the Bradford Central Library.”

The council said there had been no plans to close Keighley Library and that it was due to become one of three hubs. Councillor Sarah Ferriby, executive member for healthy people and places, said: “We have a commitment to Keighley Library. What a fantastic building and facility it is.”

Craven ward councillor Adrian Naylor pointed out that the council had signed a ten-year lease for City Library, meaning it will have paid a total of £4.2 million by the time the lease ends. He said the costs needed to be subject to an urgent review.

Members voted for the petition to go to an executive meeting.