William Eichler 16 December 2015

East Sussex proposes reduction in library services to save £500,000

East Sussex Council is proposing to reduce library-opening hours in a bid to make annual savings of around £500,000.

The council’s proposal to reduce opening hours across all 24 libraries by around 25% on average in attempt to save hundreds of thousands of pounds will go out to public consultation.

East Sussex needs to save up to £90m over the next three years and has identified £2m of savings in library services over this period.

Cllr Chris Dowling, lead member for community services, said:

‘We continue to face some extremely difficult decisions as we look at ways to deliver these unprecedented savings

‘Making changes to the opening hours of libraries across the county will help us achieve the necessary savings while ensuring that we can continue to provide a comprehensive service for residents.’

This is part of a wider pattern of cuts to library services across the country.

According to a report published this month by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), funding for council-run libraries was slashed by £50m over the last year.

#Libraries #Funding

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