Cheshire East Council has launched a six-week consultation on its draft libraries strategy, which includes asking for feedback on a tiering system for how library services would be run going forward and reducing the opening hours at Alderley Edge.
The council must make savings in library services of more than £600k over the next two years to support the council's medium-term financial strategy (MTFS) 2024-2028. The MTFS needs to achieve budget savings of £100 million to continue offering support to Cheshire East's most vulnerable residents.
The proposed tier system for libraries is:
Tier one – Congleton, Crewe, Macclesfield, Nantwich and Wilmslow.
These sites would become 'library hubs' and continue to provide the core library services along with free support around health, employment, skills, education and personal finance, and host other services, such as banking hubs.
Tier two – Alsager, Holmes Chapel, Knutsford, Middlewich, Poynton and Sandbach.
These sites would continue to offer the core library and customer services, with revised opening hours to focus on when the libraries are busiest.
Tier three – Alderley Edge, Bollington, Disley and Handforth.
These sites would be known as 'community libraries' and act as customer service points and offer a small range of activities. They would be staffed by Cheshire East Council employees for up to 1.5 days during the week.
For Alderley Edge library the proposal is to reduce the opening hours staffed by the Council to 10am to 2pm on Wednesdays and 10am to 5pm on Fridays.
The council is engaging with community organisations and town and parish councils to explore opportunities for them to operate library services in their local areas during the remainder of the week.
Tier four - existing mobile library and the home library service.
These will delivered by volunteers and offered to those residents who are unable to leave their homes.
Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee, said: "The draft libraries strategy has been developed following the library service review held last year.
"Feedback from a public consultation held at the time showed that libraries are very important to our residents.
"However, major financial challenges mean there is far less money available to spend. We must look at a different way of running our libraries so that we can still offer these valued services in the places where demand and need is greatest.
"In doing this, it provides us with opportunities to invest in our core sites, explore how we can use them to generate income, and to use new technologies so library services are more accessible to our residents.
"It also gives us the opportunity to deliver a service that's in partnership with our local communities, and to look at how library and other council services – such as those offering support around health and employment – can be delivered in a more joined up way.
Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee, said: "We know that libraries are very important to our residents, and we absolutely recognise the value of the services they offer.
"Significant financial pressures mean we have to transform the way in which these services are delivered. There is far less money to spend, and we must focus the resources we do have in the places where demand and need is greatest.
"The proposed tier system for libraries that is included in our draft strategy mirrors how many other councils are already operating their own sites.
"It provides opportunities for us to deliver library and other council services in a much more joined up way – such as Family Hubs, which bring services together so families with children and young people can access the right help and support, at the right time in one place.
"It also provides us with opportunities to invest in our core sites, explore how we can use them to generate income, and to use new technologies so library services are more accessible to our residents."
Cllr Warren added: "While we have been developing our strategy, we have been engaging with community organisations and town and parish councils to explore opportunities for them to support library services in their local area.
"Some of the options that have been put forward as a result of these conversations, which are still ongoing, are included in the consultation so that residents can share their views. This includes proposals for Bollington, Handforth and Disley libraries."
After considering the feedback from the consultation, final proposals for libraries will be developed and brought back to committee in autumn.
The consultation runs until Sunday 15 September and can be found online at: cheshireeast.gov.uk/consultations
