Redcar and Cleveland libraries to close and opening hours cut

The move was attacked by opposition politicians, but defended by the minority council-led Labour administration.

A three month public consultation will now begin over the council proposals – Brotton and Roseberry community library, in Redcar, being set to close having been identified as having the lowest visitor usage.

Laburnum Road library, also in Redcar, and Dormanstown library will be turned into community run venues, with the council also exploring whether it will continue to have a statutory library offer at Grangetown library.

It said this would remove the staffing and management of the building, but the library book stock would be updated and checked by library staff, while a self-serve point would stay in place.

Several libraries will have their opening hours reduced – the main library in Redcar, opposite the civic centre, Guisborough, South Bank, Skelton, Marske, Ormesby and Saltburn. 

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A report for the council’s cabinet – which approved the plans –  by Patrick Rice, the executive director for adults and communities, said to retain the “status quo” with the 13 library buildings currently in place would not allow improvements to the service and by consolidating it allowed a focusing of resources within budget.

It also described how there was a good geographical spread of physical libraries remaining in the borough.

The report said the way libraries were used was changing and since 2017 there had been a 57 per cent decline in active members, along with a 58 per cent decline in visitor numbers.

On the flip side, digital book borrowing had continued to grow and there had been increasing attendance at events and activities arranged within libraries.

A review began last year, involving consultants, focus groups and workshops in a bid to develop a “clear evidence based” understanding of how to shape the service.

From responses gathered from the public, physical libraries were still seen as an important part of the council’s offer, but there was “recognition internally and [from] public groups of the need for some library closures and to concentrate resources”.

Changing opening hours received “mixed reviews”, while health and wellbeing was raised amid suggestions libraries should play a strong part in delivering this.

The council said the new library service would be designed around physical and digital libraries along with outreach facilities, providing ‘pop ups’ in some locations, including village halls, and an improved home delivery offer.

It said despite budget cuts, the book budget itself would be increased by £10,000 to address concerns about a lack of new book stock, while fees for books returned late would also be removed as these could create barriers to access.

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Library employees previously took on more responsibility for dealing with broader customer service enquiries on behalf of the council and while the report said this had provided some efficiencies, it had taken staff away from delivering public facing library services. 

These responsibilities will be separated to some extent, subject to a review of staffing structures, freeing library staff from contact centre enquiries.

What have people said?

A Liberal Democrat spokesman claimed the changes were a “betrayal to local communities from a party that promised to protect the borough from the worst of Government austerity”.

Meanwhile, veteran councillor Steve Kay, who was part of the previous independent/Liberal Democrat administration that began the library review, said the loss of the library function in Brotton would be a “great loss”.

He said: “Brotton hasn’t got very much and we don’t want to lose the library.”

Cllr Kay, an independent, added:  “The Labour party is just shrinking the whole library service and presumably there’ll be less access.

“We never proposed to close either of those libraries.”

Council leader Alec Brown said the council was protecting the borough’s most vulnerable adults and children by carrying on delivering key services.

He said his group had inherited a multi-million pound overspend from the previous administration and “we have to find that money from somewhere with minimal impact”.

Cllr Brown said he had visited the Brotton facility, which is an extension of a local school, a number of times and there was “absolutely nobody in there”.

He said: “We are putting in a pop up library in the chapel in Brotton High Street, which residents and the ward councillors are telling me will be more accepted in terms of being used because the library at the minute on the side of the school is out of the way of the community.”