Council debates future of libraries amid £2.4m cut

The future of a city's library service is unclear as the council debates whether to cut £2.4m from its existing budget.

Some of Bristol's 27 libraries could be permanently closed if plans to halve the service's current £4.7m fund go through.

Bristol City Council has discussed options ranging from doing nothing and keeping all libraries open to reducing the service's budget to help contribute to an overall £40m in savings.

Councillor Stephen Williams said he wanted a "budgetary nudge" to reform library services across the city.

"While we have 26 buildings across the city that have the word 'library' across their door, we do not have a comprehensive service," he told the council's finance sub-committee.

"Across a given day, quite a lot of those libraries are closed."

He also said a scheme where residents were able to visit unstaffed libraries after hours could be extended.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Bristol has 27 libraries, which is more than any other core city.

However, councillor Patrick McAllister said libraries were a "zombie service" in some areas, with usage varying dramatically across the city.

He said Avonmouth library welcomes around 3,000 visitors a year whereas the Henleaze and Bishopston libraries welcome around 70,000.

He said it would be better for libraries to be open when people find it more convenient to go, and other council services could be run from the buildings.

Councillor Rob Logan said £2m of cuts would be damaging and "there is appetite to come up with something better".

The sub-committee's comments will be passed to the strategy and resources committee which will meet on 3 February ahead of a full council decision.

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