POLL: Do you use your local library?

The number of people visiting libraries in Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall is rising – bucking the trend across the rest of the region.

There has been a decline in the number of borrowers going through the doors in Wolverhampton and Staffordshire, latest figures show.

Libraries branching out and offering more than just books, hosting events and activities for all the family are some of the reasons behind the increase in part of the Black Country, bosses have said.

It comes as some libraries in the area have been put at risk of closure in recent months while others have been handed over to volunteers to run. The statistics from The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) show the total number of visits to libraries in Sandwell rose from 1,813,721 to 1,857,751 in 2014/15.

Chief librarian Barry Clark said: "Our library staff along with the partners and volunteers who support us have made a big effort to make libraries in Sandwell into real community hubs, with modernised services such as self-service book loans and the introduction of Wi-Fi.

"The libraries also provide spaces for clubs and societies to meet."

In Dudley, the number of visits increased from 1,099,542 to 1,147,900 in 2014/15.

Tony Oakman, strategic director for the people at Dudley Council, said: "People use libraries as they are safe and trusted spaces in their community where they have free access not just to books, information, experiences and ideas but to the expert professional advice and support which they need to help them find the resources they want and to use them effectively."

Figures recorded for the survey showed the number of visits in Walsall decreased between 2013/14 and 2014/15 but latest data shows there has been an increase in 2015/16 with figures rising from 1,075,462 1 in 2014/15 to 1,084,662 in 2015/16.

It comes after seven closure-threatened libraries across the borough were given a stay of execution. A budget proposal put forward by the ruling Conservatives, which would have seen the sites shut, was dramatically overthrown by Labour and Liberal Democrats members. A Labour and Liberal Democrat budget, which did not include the proposed closures of Beechdale, Blakenhall, New Invention, Rushall, South Walsall, Walsall Wood and Pleck libraries, has been backed with a final decision due to be made after the local elections next month.

Meanwhile in Wolverhampton there has also been a reduction in visits from 964,769 in 2013/14 to 591,713 in 2014/15. No one was available from the council to comment.

While in Staffordshire, the number of visits dropped from 3,827,516 to 3,610,168 in 2014/15.