'Library closing would be great loss for village'

Villagers have expressed sadness at the potential closure of their library as part of cost-cutting measures.

Rottingdean Library was the sixth most visited library out of 13 in Brighton and Hove with nearly 29,000 visitors per year, but has still been earmarked for closure.

Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) is meeting on Thursday to discuss closing Rottingdean, Hollingbury and Westdene libraries to save £210,000 from its annual £3.7m library budget over two years.

BHCC said it had "tough choices to protect library services where they're most needed, while achieving necessary savings to ensure the council remains financially sustainable".

Closing Rottingdean library, which is based in the 17th Century Grange building, would save BHCC £25,000 per year.

Resident Julia Harris said she would feel "very deprived" if the library closed as it was "very accessible to me for my disability".

"I have two young children and we use it regularly," she said.

"I think it's a great loss for the community and as an educational institution used by schools."

Tom Slinn, another resident, told BBC Radio Sussex: "We'd be really disappointed, it's been a really useful place to bring our daughter.

"Last summer she read 100 books, that was something that wouldn't be possible without the library.

"It's a place that we can come that's free and we can sit and have a quiet moment. It wouldn't be practical for us to go to the other libraries they want to keep open."

A petition set up by locals calling for the library to remain open has received more than 3,000 signatures.

A report to the council's cabinet said Rottingdean Library was within two miles (3.2km) of Saltdean Library, had good transport links and many people used both libraries.

The area was described as having "less evidence of deprivation" and reducing the number of libraries from two to one would achieve savings with "minimal impact" on residents, the report said.

Hollingbury Library, based in Old Boat Corner Community Centre, was also proposed for closure.

It had the fewest visits of all the branches, with 6,554 visitors. While Westdene, in Bankside, had the second fewest with 10,039 visits.

Councillor Alan Robins, cabinet member for sport, recreation and libraries, said these were "difficult decisions" to make and that libraries played a "crucial role" for the community.

He added: "At this stage, we're only looking at starting a consultation with residents on a number of proposals.

"Our key aim is to investigate whether the library spaces affected by these proposals could be provided in a different way, for example by transferring them to a community group or voluntary sector organisation."

The council said it looked at a number of factors when discussing libraries proposed for closure including usage, proximity to alternative libraries and operational costs.

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