NORTH Yorkshire MPs are urging Hambleton District Council to do all it can to ease the financial burden of the region’s community-run libraries.

Public libraries in Thirsk, Easingwold, Bedale and Stokesley are in the process of being transferred from North Yorkshire County Council ownership and control given to community groups made up of volunteers.

As charities, the library groups will be eligible for an 80 per cent discount in business rates but Hambleton is the only district authority within North Yorkshire that is not giving them an automatic 100 per cent reduction.

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, and Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond, have echoed the calls from campaigners who want the new libraries granted additional business rates relief to help them get established.

The council recently reviewed its policy on discretionary business rate relief, with council leader Mark Robson saying that “one or two tweaks” were made.

He said that rates would be decided on an individual basis but none of the libraries had yet applied for the reduction.

Mr Hollinrake and Mr Sunak believe the council’s policy on discretionary business rate relief does allow the council to help the libraries without setting a precedent or acting illegally.

In a joint statement they said: “We hope that Hambleton will look at each application on their individual merits and do what it can to extend this relief so the new libraries can get a flying start.”

Mr Robson said that the rates would be decided on an individual basis but none of the libraries had yet applied for the full relief.

He added: “The stance is still the same and we look forward to some applications in due course.”