Bristol library closures seem inevitable despite fewer potential cuts than feared

Bristol: It looks like some of the city’s libraries might have to close down. Even though the proposed budget cuts aren’t as bad as we thought, the council is still worried. They recently talked about slashing the library budget from £4.7 million, which could leave us with only a handful of branches open.

During a council meeting, they discussed different options, from keeping all libraries open to making some serious cuts. One council member, Cllr Stephen Williams, said he didn’t support the biggest cuts because they would hurt the service too much. He pointed out that the council needs to save over £40 million, and libraries have to pitch in somehow.

He suggested making smaller cuts to help reform the library service. Right now, even though there are 26 libraries, many are closed for a good part of the day. For instance, on Wednesdays, five libraries are shut, and the next day, nine will be closed all day. It’s a bit of a mess.

Even the libraries that are open don’t have long hours. Cllr Williams mentioned that we need to rethink how we use these spaces. Some libraries, like the one in Avonmouth, only get about 3,000 visitors a year, while others, like Henleaze, see around 70,000. That’s a huge difference!

He wants to make sure libraries are open when people actually want to visit, maybe even in the evenings. Plus, he thinks we could use these buildings for other council services too. Right now, we’re wasting a lot of resources by keeping them closed for so long.

Another council member, Cllr Patrick McAllister, called some libraries a “zombie service,” which means they’re barely functioning. Cllr Williams agreed, saying that the service has been cut back so much in the past that it’s not really serving the community well anymore.

He pointed out that Bristol has more libraries than other cities, like Liverpool, which only has 16. He believes we could still offer a decent service with fewer libraries if we manage them better. A task force will be set up to figure out which branches might close.

There’s also talk about letting residents access some libraries after hours, which could help. But Cllr Kelvin Blake expressed concern that once libraries close, they might not come back. He emphasized that libraries are important community assets, even if they’re not used for traditional services.

Cllr Williams acknowledged that some libraries, like the one in Hillfields, are closed too often to be effective. He stressed the need to focus on providing a quality service rather than just keeping the physical buildings open.

As the council continues to discuss these issues, they’re hoping to come up with a better plan that works for everyone. The comments from this meeting will go to the strategy and resources committee, which will meet soon to finalize the budget.