A LACK of disabled access which forced council bosses out of their office threatens the future of a town's "iconic" library building, according to councillors.

At a meeting of Millom Town Council, councillors urged the group to relocate back to their offices in the Millom Library building.

Since March, the meetings have been held at the Pensioner's Hall on Mainsgate Road, after the lack of disabled access to the offices on St George's Road raised questions over their compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Cllr Denise Burness said: "I have been an advocate of equal opportunities for a long time and we should have access for people with disabilities who want to come to our meetings.

"I know our council building is not fit for purpose but if we do not use it we will lose it.

"It will just be another nail in the coffin for them to say we do not need it."

Councillors claimed Cumbria County Council would look to close the building if it was not in full use.

Cllr Bob Kelly said: "It seems to me that we are in another situation that Cumbria County Council want to get rid of the building and we have to to prevent that.

"It echoes the swimming pool saga and we are giving the council every chance to close us down.

"If people find they cannot use the building we can make special arrangements to move somewhere else."

Cllr Ruth Peter, who also chairs the South Copeland Disability Group, suggested the council should be open to relocation temporarily if the agenda raises concerns for the town's disabled residents.

She said: "If there is something important that comes up about a disability issue, then the office should be informed and we will decamp to an accessible site.

"It is an iconic building in Millom and I will be hopping mad if the council go anywhere near it.

"It is beautiful and I do feel really strongly about it."

Cllr Ged McGrath said: "If we take all reasonable steps to accommodate everyone where we can then we will fall on the right side of the law.

"That building is at risk and we must use it whenever we can."

The calls come as the council looks to avoid a repeat of the swimming pool "saga".

Millom mayor Jane Micklethwaite said: "We need to get the council to fix that building because we need to do something sooner rather than having another crisis meeting at five minutes to midnight like we had to with the swimming pool."

Cumbria County Council reiterated their commitment to keeping local libraries open.

Last month, an email was circulated around library staff by council bosses, saying the library would "categorically" not be closing and praising the "excellent" facility.

Cllr Deborah Earl, cabinet member for communities, said: "There are no plans to close Millom Library. It continues to be a well-used and well-run facility and is important to the local community.

"I would like to place on record my thanks and appreciation to the library staff team that work hard to provide such a valuable community service.

"Cumbria County Council is committed to libraries. They are about more than books. They are community hubs providing access to a huge range of resources, experiences and learning.

"Like all council services, government cuts have put financial pressure on libraries and the council has made every effort to manage this without affecting the service the public receives.

"This has been successful and Cumbria has avoided the wholesale closures of libraries that have occurred elsewhere in the country."