Community libraries given new lease of life

Eleven of Hampshire's libraries have been given a new lease of life after being taken over by the community.

The county council cut the funding of 14 libraries in the last seven years, with three having to close completely.

A BBC investigation found 183 libraries closed in the UK since 2016 with nearly 950 reducing their opening hours.

But some are faring well being run by volunteers. Fair Oak library near Eastleigh was taken over by the community in 2020 and is now open 25 hours a week with more than 800 visits a month.

When the library on Campbell Way was run by Hampshire county it was only staffed for 18 hours.

John Dunne, who is chair of trustees said a core team of 25 volunteers was working hard to keep the facility running.

He said: "We do spend a lot of time fundraising, generating income to keep the lights on and the computers running, plus buying new books. That does mean we have to charge a small amount to people coming to our events, rhyme time and knit and natter."

In Gosport, two libraries which were cut off by the county council reopened run by volunteers.

Christine McGrew who's chair of trustees at Lee Hub - formerly Lee on Solent library - said she was proud of what the community had done keeping the library open. Their over-60s lunch club on Mondays is so popular there's a waiting list.

But she said she was worried that communities running libraries would become the model going forward. "The danger is we are doing so well, the council think more libraries can be closed down and that's not going to work everywhere. It's a huge labour of love, I lie awake at night worrying about the front door which keeps getting stuck.

"Ultimately people in Lee are paying council tax for a library service they aren't getting."

Hampshire County Council still runs 40 libraries across the county, including in Gosport town centre. It says it has no current plans to cut services further but has admitted its budget black hole is bigger than previously suggested.

A government spokesperson said it recognised pressures facing libraries and it was committed to giving stability back to local councils so services such as these can best meet the needs of the communities.

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