Consultation launched over libraries shake-up

Staffordshire County Council has put forward several ideas which they hope will help make £1.3m of savings.

The libraries in the shake-up include Burntwood, Cannock, Codsall, Eccleshall, Lichfield, Penkridge, Perton, Rugeley, Stafford, Stone and Wombourne.

One proposal is to introduce non-staffed opening hours outside of the core times where a 'self service' system would be produced.

Another idea is to extend opening hours by volunteers manning the buildings. While the third major suggestion is to transfer management from the council to a community-based group as has already been implemented at 23 sites.

Councillor Gill Heath, communities chief, said: "We have worked hard in recent years to buck the trend of closures happening in so many other places and have succeeded in keeping all Staffordshire’s 43 libraries open and part of our statutory provision.

“This consultation is about looking to the future and examining ideas already being used in other parts of the country to see how we can keep our libraries relevant to people’s changing needs.”

Visit www.staffordshire.gov.uk/connectedlibraries to take part in the consultation.