News / Bristol Libraries
Call on mayor to keep Bristol libraries open
Liberal Democrat councillors have called on the mayor not to close any of Bristol’s libraries, as the council prepares to open a public consultation on the future of the service.
George Ferguson and his cabinet will tonight discuss a consultation into re-designing the library provision in the city.
The mayor told a conference on the future of cities at the weekend that libraries needed to change to meet new demands from digitally engaged users.
is needed now More than ever
He cited that only 10 per cent of the city’s population used libraries, with fewer still borrowing books.
Councillors approved a budget in February which included a £1.1million cut through redesign of library services, which needs to be implemented by April 2016.
But Lib Dem group leader Gary Hopkins said cutting library services should not be seen as an “easy option”.
Cllr Hopkins said: “At a time of financial pressures, cutting library services can be seen as an easy option. That should not be the case. We should instead add services and functions to libraries to make them even better value for money.
“Library services are continually one of the most highly valued services provided by the council and rightly so. Not everyone can afford books and our libraries are used by people who otherwise would have no access to books or the internet.
“Libraries are the last thing that should be cut, not the first. I hope the mayor will have a rethink and keep our libraries open.”
The report to cabinet today says that libraries in Bristol are “well-loved and highly valued” but are not providing a service relevant to the vast majority of users.
“The numbers of people actively using our libraries for their traditional purpose is very low… the key point is that the level of usage is telling us that what we provide in many of our libraries is not necessarily relevant to the vast majority of our citizens,” the report says.
If passed, a three-month public consultation will start next Tuesday and finish in February 2015. A second phase of consultation on proposals formed from this consultation will then begin in March 2015.
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