Important libraries update

Libraries update

Birmingham City Council has just published an important update on the future of local library services.

The Council is proposing that Northfield Library be kept open full-time as a Community Hub Library.

Weoley Castle and Kings Norton libraries would be reduced to part-time council-staffed hours (at either 14 or 24 hours per week).

Frankley Community Library is marked for possible community asset transfer. An additional bus stop would be put in. The future of library is not secure and it is still at risk of closure if a organisation cannot be found to run or fund the library.

The budget prepared under the Commissioners sets out cuts of 40 per cent to libraries and buildings spending, or cuts of £2.3 million.

It is important that as many services are preserved as possible, for as long as possible, so that irreversible reductions in library services are not made.

It is a silver lining that none of Northfield’s libraries are marked for closure in the short-term, but it is important that the community and their representatives continue to engage with the consultation to try to secure the best possible future for all our community’s libraries.

My written submission to the library consultation can be read here. I am engaging with library users’ and community groups and the unions that represent library staff, and I will provide further updates when I can.