LOCAL music and drama groups have been dealt a hammer blow.

The Yorkshire Music and Drama Library, which provides copies of music scores and play scripts, is set to shut.

The service run by 12 Yorkshire councils, including Kirklees and Calderdale, is to likely to be closed down next spring.

A final decision is set to be taken on November 3, but a spokesman for the service said all 12 councils were in agreement that it was no longer financially viable.

Kirklees said they hope to continue running their own service which helps many groups, but had agreed to shut the regional service.

The news will hit many amateur dramatic societies, orchestras and other groups hard.

They have been able to borrow scripts and scores from the service for many years for a nominal charge, but in many cases will now have to contact publishers direct and face big fees.

Pam Wilson, an actress and singer, said: “As this library is the main source of play scripts and choral and instrumental music for people all over Yorkshire, this closure threatens to kill off amateur theatre and music-making over much of Yorkshire.

“It could destroy the leisure activities and entertainment of thousands of participants and audiences”.

Christine Stanton, a member of Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra, agreed.

“We have used the service countless times and it is a real blow.

“It will be very difficult for theatre groups and music societies to get the scripts and scores they need without having to pay huge fees.

“At present an orchestra can get a full set of scores from the service for less than £100. Without this service we could face paying many times more than that and that is simply not feasible.”

There is concern that notice of the closure left people only two weeks to let their concerns be known.

There are also concerns about what will happen to the service’s huge archive of material.

A spokesman for Wakefield Council, which administers the service on behalf of all the authorities, said it was a decision taken and supported by all the councils.

“The reduced demand for the service and the consequent fall in use and income means the service is no longer financially viable”, he said.

It cost £118,000 to run the service last year.

A Kirklees spokesman said: “The 12 authorities are looking into whether a voluntary group could take over running the collection.

“Some organisations have shown an interest and there are other ways in which the collection could remain available.

“It’s important to stress that, here in Kirklees, we have our own music and drama collection which is used by over 100 local groups – compared to around 50 Kirklees groups who use the regional service.

“The ending of the regional service would impact on a relatively small number of people in Kirklees, especially as our own collection remains popular and available.”