“Nothing’s happening at the Leys Institute Library and Gymnasium – it’s been 18 months since it was closed – what’s the story?”
This is being asked of the Friends of Leys Institute frequently, so here is a quick summary of the state of play.Council reports from September 2020 to the Local Board say the Leys Institute is fit for purpose, should be strengthened and have library services restored.
Waitemata Local Board fully endorses this and has been advocating for the buildings in its submission to the proposed council Long Term Plan 2021-31.
Many locals and Friends of the Leys Institute members put in submissions to the Long Term Plan in March, asking for funds to be allocated to the Leys.
Council has analysed all the submissions and reported back to the public. 954 submissions were made from the Waitemata Local Board area, with 722 comments on investments in community facilities, with specific mention of the Leys Institute a key theme.
Councillors held a workshop on 12 May to discuss all the Long Term Plan proposals, and before it, Friends of Leys Institute emailed all councillors, outlining the case for the Leys buildings.
The Long Term Plan and its budget will be released at the end of June, so until then all we can do is hope that our lobbying has been successful. We all understand that council finances are constrained, so we’re asking for a commitment from the council to strengthen, restore and return library and community services to the Leys Institute, even if funding is not immediately available.
Anyone interested in becoming a member of Friends of Institute can email co-ordinator Helen Geary at heleng@maxnet.co.nz , and follow the Friends of Leys Institute Facebook page.
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