Warwickshire County Council approves library cuts - the day after promoting National Storytelling Week

Plans to end the Sunday opening of Warwickshire libraries and make others volunteer-run had opposition councillors accusing the ruling Conservative group of being short sighted for going along with the recommendations.

Financial projections estimate £150,000 could be saved by making the changes over the next three years.

The authority spends more than £400 million per year on services but needs to make savings amid pressure on education and social care services that it is legally obliged to deliver.

The medium-term financial strategy (MTFS) – the council’s financial framework for the next five years – includes almost £80 million worth of either cuts, efficiencies or income generating schemes.

Libraries in Rugby, Leamington (both noon-4pm) and Nuneaton (10am-2pm) currently open for four hours on Sundays, except for those directly before a Bank Holiday. The proposal is to “review” that in the financial year starting April 2026 with the aim of clawing back £50,000.

The other £100,000 would come from a “targeted expansion of the community managed library network” from April 2027.

There are 30 libraries listed on the county council’s website, 12 of which are volunteer-led, and although specifics of what may come have yet to be announced, Green group leader Councillor Jonathan Chilvers (Leamington Brunswick) referenced Wellesbourne, Whitnash and Wolston during Thursday’s budget meeting.

Councillor Judy Falp (Whitnash) is the sole independent member of Warwickshire County Council and could not believe her eyes when she received a county council press release about National Storytelling Week. It quoted the county’s portfolio holder for education Councillor Kam Kaur (Con, Bilton & Hillside) as saying “Encouraging children to develop a love of reading from an early age is one of the most valuable things we can do.”

“We didn’t get the quote about the £100,000 cuts that were going to be made to the library service,” said Cllr Falp.

“I thought it was quite ironic.

“I fully understand that we are in challenging times financially. Demands on our budget, mainly due to adult social care and SEN (special educational needs) provision makes anything that is non-statutory a target for cuts. I would argue that some cuts undermine what we do in our communities.”

She added that there had been “no discussion” with Whitnash and highlighted the need for sites to be staffed, listing benefits such as support for the town’s dementia cafe, gatherings around reading for children and help with form filling for residents, particularly those seeking disabled badges.

She said it would take “a very small amount” to maintain staffing in Whitnash, and that volunteers “should always” have the support of employed staff.

Labour group leader Councillor Sarah Feeney (Benn) said: “You may well call it expansion of the community model but we call it cuts in staffing and professional advice.

“Volunteers play an absolutely key role in libraries, we don’t deny that, but there are difficulties with solely community-led libraries when those who have committed their time and energy feel they no longer can. Staff have a key role in our libraries and that is the right model.

“Had there been more money in this budget, we would also have asked to keep the Sunday opening hours.

“We recognise many residents find leisure time on Sundays and it seems counter-intuitive that we are going to shut on a day when many could use the service.”

Cllr Chilvers argued the libraries offer “amazing value” for money, acting as “social glue across our county for what is actually a very small amount of money in the larger scheme of things”.

“Having the libraries open on a Sunday in the big towns is really important and we want to see properly-paid staff running some of those other libraries," he added.

“Volunteers can do a fantastic job but inevitably that means less secure opening hours, probably shorter opening hours.”

Cabinet member for customer and transformation Councillor Yousef Dahmash (Con, Hilmorton) said libraries were “not immune from the financial challenges we face”, but added: “This administration has always prioritised our libraries and protected them in a way that many councils across the country simply do not.

“We are going to look at the future, assess some of the aspects of the service that we offer, Sunday opening times in Rugby, Nuneaton and Leamington being one, and also the expansion of our community-managed libraries network in the future.

“Let’s have a conversation about it, let’s see how we can make these proposals work. We have a digital library service as well, we can promote and enhance that, there are different strings to our bow.”