One area of Stockport feels they get 'absolute zilch' amid fears the state of their local library could be lost forever.

The LDRS was told buckets have to be put out when it rains and 'rot is spreading' at Reddish Library.

The library was built at the beginning of the 20th century after the industrial area joined Stockport borough in 1901. The three-storey fire station was later converted into a community centre and the building came with a swimming pool and a library.

However Reddish lost their baths in 2005 after Stockport Council at the time cut funding to the Stockport Sports Trust and the community centre was later forced to close following a roof leak. Now the library has had scaffolding up for over three years and people fear it could be lost for good following what they believe is years of neglect.

Today, trees can be seen growing out of the roof of the building. The LDRS understands the scaffolding was put up because of defects in the brickwork and is required to protect the public from potential falling material and maintain safe access.

Due to the scale of the repairs needed, the council does not know how long the scaffolding will remain but without it, the library would need to close. Internal repairs have been carried out but the full costs of sorting out the building are not yet known.

Andy Stewart and Paula Rands, two people worried about the library's future, said the building used to be really popular bringing in people from across Reddish but damp is now seeping through the walls.

Paula, who used to work at the library, said a hole was reported repeatedly in the community centre's roof for years before a storm caused a major leak and forced the building to close. As areas like Marple get £20m to build a new community hub, the LDRS was told: 'What does Reddish get? Nothing, absolute zilch."

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She added: "The library wall gets wet and they have to keep coming in to remedy that", adding: "It's like hitting your head against a brick wall. I am not complaining about our Labour councillors because they are banging their heads against a brick wall. They have tried everything.

"It feels like one half of Stockport gets all the money and this half doesn't get anything north of the river. We are isolated from the rest of Stockport when you look at the map. I think that is why it gets forgotten about."

She wants to see the library refurbished and repaired but there are fears it is too late. Paula said: "How long is it going to last?

"They keep coming and repairing the library wall. It's not good. I would be upset as I worked there for 30 years and I have so many memories to do with that place. It would be hard."

When the baths closed, Andy, who was involved in a unsuccessful bid to take them over, said: "They left the door open and within three months it was vandalised.

"When the vandals got in, they opened all the taps and flooded the building which then blew the power supply to the community centre. Now it's just been left to go derelict."

He added: "It's heartbreaking because we can't do anything about it. All the time it's Reddish that loses out, not Marple, not Hazel Grove, not anywhere else."

The situation has been criticised by both Labour and Green Party councillors. Reddish North councillor Rachel Wise, who leads the borough's Labour group said: "What is the long-term plan for Reddish Library? Because right now there isn't one.

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"The building is open, but there are buckets catching rainwater, the ceiling is in an awful state and the rot is spreading. After more than three years of scaffolding, residents still haven't been told what repairs are needed or when they'll happen."

She said people 'have waited long enough' and deserve to know what the plans are for the building, adding: "It desperately needs shoring up, and the council needs to get on with it. This is far more than a place to borrow books."

Stockport MP Navendu Mishra has also slammed the local authority over the £30,000 cost of the scaffolding and lack of a long-term solution, adding: "That raises serious questions about value for money and the lack of urgency from the council.

"In what is the National Year of Reading, it is simply unacceptable that Reddish is being left with a library building that is visibly deteriorating while other parts of the borough receive significant investment. My constituents feel, once again, that Reddish is being overlooked."

However the council cabinet member responsible for libraries Coun Dan Oliver, said: "To try and blame Stockport Council for 'political decisions' and prioritising other parts of the borough is irresponsible and completely untrue", adding: "We have consistently advocated for every single part of the borough, and every single resident within it.

"Stockport Labour are desperately trying to point fingers at anybody but their Labour government, which is in a state of paralysis because the Labour tradition of prioritising infighting over governing has reared its head once again. This kind of unconstructive point scoring is why more and more residents in Reddish are rejecting the Labour party.

"The current Labour government have made their own political decisions to not fund Stockport fairly, to ignore appeals for funding status for Lancashire Hill, to omit our borough from its £600 million recovery grant and to ignore calls to fund urgent repairs at Stepping Hill Hospital.

"If Stockport Labour would like to challenge decisions that harm our borough, they should for once try and challenge their own government, rather than taking the easy option every single time."

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