Residents to have their say on library service cuts

A consultation is set to begin on the future of Derbyshire's libraries, after the council put forward a proposal to save money.

At a meeting on Thursday, the county council agreed to ask residents for their views on the plans, which would reduce opening hours at all but two of the county’s 45 libraries, among other proposals.

Announcing the cost-cutting plan to cut spending by £625,000 over four years, the council's leader Barry Lewis pledged no libraries would close “on his watch”.

No date has been agreed for the consultation but it is expected to begin in August and run for about 12 weeks.

The proposed changes include reducing opening hours by an average of 10% apart from at the community-run libraries in Tideswell and Woodville.

The council said neighbouring libraries would not shut on the same day of the week, all libraries would be open on Saturdays, and larger libraries would open until 18:00 for two days each week.

Other elements of the council’s plan to balance its books include investing in technology for the smaller libraries and introducing smaller, low-carbon vehicles for a new outreach service to replace the existing mobile and home library schemes.

As already in place at Killamarsh, where the library has relocated inside a leisure centre, the council would explore opportunities to share space in other buildings.

A drive to recruit more volunteers also forms part of the strategy.

Derbyshire County Council is expecting to have used £138m of its reserves over the three years to March 2025, to fill the gap between what it receives and what it spends.

In March its finance chief described the scale of its overspending as "not sustainable".

Councillor Lewis said: “Due to the budget issues still facing the council, the service must make some savings and we believe the proposals, including a relatively small reduction in opening hours, are the best and fairest way to achieve them.

“No decisions will be made before people have had the opportunity to have their say.”

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