Cheshire East Council has consulted on revised proposals for library services across the borough after listening to feedback about how essential savings can be made over the next four years.
The council is proposing to reduce the current opening hours of libraries across the borough so that all sites are closed for at least 1.5 days during the week. This will mean libraries such as Alsager that are not currently closed in the week will close for a day and a half.
The consultation, which has now finished, follows the approval of the council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) in February, which includes proposals for how the council will balance its budget for the next four years.
The proposed new opening hours take into account key usage data including daily visitor numbers, the number of books issued and computer usage, alongside other local considerations.
The consultation also asked the public for suggestions about how they think the council could generate further income that could enable libraries to be kept open for longer, and for comments on how library provision should be delivered in local areas. The council is also seeking expressions of interest from town and parish councils to explore ways of working together to deliver library services in their area.
As well as a reduction in the opening hours for libraries, the proposal includes a reduction in funding for the purchase of new books and newspapers.
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