Councils click into the future of planning
In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different.
GLL: Supporting a new generation of literary talent
08/04/2025 Rebecca Gediking, Head of Libraries at GLL, discusses the GLL Literary Foundation, which aims to support talented, up and coming children’s authors. |
English councils slash culture spending by 50%
17/12/2024 Spending on culture, heritage and libraries by English councils has been cut by more than half over the last 15 years, according to new research. |
Public libraries in ‘crisis’ amid cuts
03/09/2024 More than 180 council-run libraries in the UK have either closed or been handed to volunteer groups since 2016, analysis by the BBC has revealed. |
Cheshire East sets out plan to tackle £100m deficit
16/08/2024 Plans to address a £100m budget gap over four years will be considered by Cheshire East councillors next week. |
Councils awarded £399,000 culture funding
09/08/2024 A place-based partnership involving Surrey County Council and Spelthorne Borough Council has secured £399,000 for a new culture hub. |
Liverpool ‘overwhelmed’ as £180,000 raised for vandalised library
07/08/2024 An ‘outpouring of support’ has been welcomed by Liverpool City Council in the wake of an arson attack on a local library and community hub. |
Buildings upgraded in £8m energy efficiency scheme
24/07/2024 The first phase of an £8.2m programme to reduce the carbon footprint of West Sussex County Council’s buildings has been completed. |
Welsh Government backs digital library platform with £900k
16/05/2024 A new digital platform improving access to library services is set to be rolled out across Wales after receiving a £900,000 boost from the Welsh Government. |
Brum consults on £2.3m library cuts
05/04/2024 Cash-strapped Birmingham City Council has launched a consultation on how it will cut £2.3m from its library budget. |
Museums and libraries receive £33m cash injection
26/03/2024 Nearly 70 museums and libraries across England are to receive £33m in the latest round of the Government's Cultural Investment Fund. |
Two-thirds of councils to cut neighbourhood services
27/02/2024 Community services will have to be ‘drastically scaled back’ or cut altogether without further funding for councils, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Culture spend down by £500m
01/02/2024 Analysis has uncovered an almost £500m reduction in councils’ spending on libraries, culture, heritage and tourism since the onset of austerity. |
Council saves Manchester’s ‘earliest surviving’ document
19/01/2024 What is believed to be the earliest surviving written document in Greater Manchester has been preserved for posterity by the city council. |
Support programme for libraries launched
03/01/2024 A charity representing public libraries has launched a support programme for council library services facing spending cuts. |
£450k to kick-start library transformation
30/11/2023 A Manchester library has been awarded £453,964 to transform its Grade II Listed building and preserve its historic collections. |
Public services ‘in a dire state’
31/10/2023 No public services are performing better than before the pandemic and satisfaction with councils has dropped, a report has found. |
Council to shut 39 facilities
02/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has decided to close 39 community facilities in response to its financial shortfall. |
Public libraries generate £3.4bn a year, study finds
07/07/2023 England’s public libraries generate at least £3.4bn each year, a landmark new analysis has revealed. |
Amnesty sees library book returned 50 years late
01/06/2023 A library book amnesty in East Sussex has seen the return of a book that is nearly half a century overdue. |
UNISON launches action figures of ‘unsung heroes’
18/05/2023 Public sector union UNISON has launched a range of council worker action figures to celebrate the ‘unsung heroes’ working on the frontlines. |
Embracing the local library
17/05/2023 Libraries play an important role in communities. Isobel Hunter, chief executive, Libraries Connected, argues that councils should promote their benefits more. |
Islington Council scraps library fines
17/04/2023 Islington residents who have an overdue library book can now return it without fear of being penalized, the local authority has said. |
Over 70 cultural venues set for £60m investment
20/03/2023 More than 70 libraries, museums and arts centres are to be given a £60m boost, culture secretary Lucy Frazer has announced. |
Cultural institutions face ‘existential threat’, MPs warn
02/11/2022 Theatres, museums and leisure centres in historically left behind areas are facing an ‘existential threat’ from the cost-of-living crisis, MPs warn. |
‘Warm bank’ libraries call for extra funds
20/09/2022 Library have warned that without additional funding they will struggle to cope with the extra demand of people looking for somewhere warm this winter. |
Libraries providing ‘warm refuges’ under pressure
26/08/2022 Libraries are providing ‘refuges’ to people who are struggling with the cost of living, but the increasing price of energy is putting budgets under pressure. |
Library demand surges due to cost of living crisis
09/06/2022 The Government has been told not to ‘take libraries for granted’ as survey reveals the cost of living crisis has increased demand for library services. |
England’s poorest areas hit hardest by austerity
03/05/2022 Residents living in England’s most deprived areas were hit hardest by the largest local authority spending cuts during a decade of austerity, think tank says. |
Nottingham City Council defends decision to close three libraries
20/04/2022 The leader of Nottingham City Council has defended the local authority’s decision to close down three libraries in the face of a backlash. |
Survey warns of 'bleak' fiscal reality for libraries
10/02/2022 Library income fell by nearly £20m over the last financial year, an annual survey has revealed. |
Council spending on the arts has halved since 2010
04/02/2022 Local authority expenditure on cultural services has fallen by 50% across England since 2009-2010, according to new research. |
Councils highlight role of libraries in national recovery from COVID-19
21/06/2021 Councils are warning investment in libraries is crucial to help children catch up on lost learning and support local communities post-pandemic. |
Children's Laureate calls for £100m ring-fenced school library fund
13/04/2021 Waterstones Children's Laureate has written an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for a £100m yearly ring-fenced fund for primary schools libraries. |
Union calls for libraries to be ‘completely closed’ during lockdown
06/01/2021 A public sector union has called for libraries to be completely closed to protect library workers during the lockdown. |
Spending on libraries drops by £20m in past year
04/12/2020 The total spend on British libraries has fallen by nearly £20m in the past financial year, new figures have revealed. |
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Councils see 600% boom in digital library memberships
06/04/2020 The number of people signing up to online library services has increased by 600% in some areas since the coronavirus lockdown. |
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Counties warn about service closures during coronavirus
30/03/2020 Councils are being forced to close or reduce more services in order to divert resources to fighting the coronavirus pandemic. |
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Bromley's eight-month strike comes to an end
31/01/2020 An eight-month long strike at Bromley’s library services has finally ended following an agreement between Unite and the employer, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL). |
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Council leases library to Holocaust education project
23/12/2019 Cumbria County Council has agreed to provide a Holocaust education project with a long lease to a library building in memory of the Windermere Children. |
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Research reveals 'shocking' cuts to local services
10/12/2019 Hundreds of youth centres, libraries and public toilets have been closed due to council funding cuts, a trade union has warned. |
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Decade of austerity sees dramatic drop in library spending
06/12/2019 Ten years of cuts to public services has seen a nearly 30% drop in library spending, new research has revealed. |
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Library strike ‘longest-running employment dispute of modern times’
13/11/2019 A strike by library workers in Bromley, south east London, is set to enter its sixth month. |
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Council sets out plan to build 1,000 social homes
12/11/2019 Nottingham City Council has committed to building or buying 1,000 council houses and creating thousands of new jobs over the next decade. |
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Whitehall announces £250m of culture spending
14/10/2019 The Government has announced £250m of funding for cultural projects, libraries, museums and the creative industries after a decade of cuts. |
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Leeds to abolish fines for overdue library books
10/10/2019 Leeds is the latest council to join a growing number abolishing fines for overdue library books. |
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Northants gives green light to 17 community-run libraries
23/08/2019 Northamptonshire County Council has approved the business cases of 17 community-run libraries as part of a plan to safeguard the future of the authority’s library service. |
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Council charity to run Hertfordshire's libraries
02/08/2019 Hertfordshire County Council is set to save £500,000 in business rates by transferring its libraries to a charity it set up for the purpose. |
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Council drops plans to close ‘third of libraries’ after outcry
10/07/2019 Essex County Council has done a U-turn on its plan to close nearly a third of its libraries after a consultation received thousands of responses opposing it. |
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Somerset council signs six ‘community library partnerships’
08/04/2019 Somerset County Council signed six ‘community library partnerships’ last week in a move that will help maintain library services in the face of cuts. |
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Cheshire East comes top in national library survey
01/02/2019 Cheshire East is celebrating once again taking the top spot in a national survey of library services. |
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Council spending on cultural services slashed by £400m
28/01/2019 Council spending on cultural resources such as museums, libraries, and the arts has been reduced by almost £400m over the last eight years of austerity, new research has revealed. |
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Five areas to share £20m cultural development fund
18/01/2019 The five areas to receive £20m of funding to invest in culture have been unveiled by the Government. |
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Councils slash library budgets by £30m, survey reveals
07/12/2018 The number of libraries across the country has continued to decline as cash-strapped councils reduce their spending on the service, survey reveals. |
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Study launched into future of public libraries
26/11/2018 A new project to explore how libraries can be funded, managed and delivered in the future has been launched today by Libraries Connected and CILIP. |
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Neighbourhood services a 'serious concern', report warns
12/10/2018 A new report has highlighted 'serious concerns' over the future quality of neighbourhood services and adult social care unless councils receive adequate funding in the next spending review. |
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Libraries support people with mental health issues, say council chiefs
11/10/2018 Local government leaders have described how novel library services are helping people cope with a range of mental health problems. |
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Northamptonshire library closures ruled ‘unlawful’
15/08/2018 The decision to close 21 council-run libraries in Northamptonshire was made unlawfully, a court has ruled. |
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Funding awarded to deliver six innovative library projects
17/05/2018 Recycled robots and ‘libraries at night’ are just some of the projects chosen to receive funding from the Library Lab initiative. |
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Council installs CCTV after library sex incident
25/04/2018 Isle of Wight Council has been forced to upgrade security measures at a local library after a couple were caught having sex among the bookshelves. |
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Bromley library staff strike over ‘paltry’ pay offer
28/03/2018 A number of Bromley’s library staff went on strike today in response to what their union describes as a ‘paltry and insulting’ pay offer. |
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Council faces government probe into library cuts
20/03/2018 Northamptonshire County Council is facing a government investigation over its decision to close 21 libraries. |
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County at ‘crisis point’ announces revised budget
28/02/2018 Northamptonshire County Council has announced revised budget savings after being warned by auditors to revise its spending plans. |
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Council spending on libraries falls by £66m in last year
11/12/2017 Spending on libraries has fallen for the seventh year running because of the squeeze on council funding, according to financial experts. |
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Online hub created for councils to share innovative ways to invest in culture
17/08/2017 Financially-squeezed councils can now access a specialised online hub designed to help them share innovative ways to invest in culture. |
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Study reveals drop in frequency of library use
10/04/2017 Although one in two people in the UK continue to use their local library, there has been a significant drop in how often people visit them, new research has revealed. |
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North Yorkshire libraries to be run by community groups
29/03/2017 Most libraries in North Yorkshire will be run by community groups and those under council management will be supported by volunteers in move to deal with cuts. |
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Winning libraries for innovation funding are revealed
22/03/2017 A ‘human library’ and an indoor soft play facility around children’s literature are just some of the initiatives to receive money from the Libraries Opportunities for Everyone Innovation fund. |
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Library services should be more accessible for e-readers, report says
16/01/2017 Council library services should be doing more to encourage people to use e-readers, says survey. |
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Libraries hit by £25m in council cuts
08/12/2016 Cash-strapped local libraries were hit by £25m worth of council cuts last year, accountancy body finds. |
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Councils back new vision for library services
01/12/2016 Councils should use libraries to deliver a wider range of public services in a bid to reinvigorate the sector, a new report has argued. |
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Council proposes closing nearly all of its libraries
27/10/2016 Walsall Council has put forward proposals to close 15 of the 16 libraries in their area in a bid to save £2.9m per year. |
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Not all libraries should be protected from closure argues charity
26/10/2016 Libraries shouldn’t be given an automatic ‘get out of austerity free’ card just because they are libraries, a charity has argued. |
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Arts and culture funding to be shifted away from the capital
05/10/2016 Funding for arts and culture outside of London will be increased by 4% by 2022, Arts Council England has announced. |
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Council library staff trained to help people file police reports
24/08/2016 Library staff at Norfolk County Council will be helping people access police services as part of a six month pilot scheme. |
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Council’s plans to scrap mobile library ‘retrograde step’, says union
17/06/2016 Union claims children’s literacy is threatened by Greenwich Council’s plans to close the borough’s mobile library service. |
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London authority handing library to prep school ‘on the cheap’, protesters claim
29/04/2016 A London council has defended its decision to move a library to new premises while leasing the old building to a private school. |
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Protesters take over London library to halt closure
01/04/2016 Protesters have occupied a library in south London in a bid to prevent it from being shut down temporarily. |
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Developer selected to regenerate Holborn sites
22/03/2016 A regeneration developer has been selected to redevelop two sites in Holborn, including a public library. |
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Libraries get funding boost
08/02/2016 The Arts Council have announced new funding for libraries totaling more than half a million pounds. |
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Councils could be ‘breaking the law’ by closing libraries, warn Unite.
05/02/2016 Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide 'comprehensive and efficient' library services, and may be contravening this by shutting down libraries, the union warned yesterday. |
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Creating the public library of the future
20/01/2016 Grant Palmer calls for local authorities to re-create and re-establish the public library as a community hub. |
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Reorganising troubled services
12/01/2016 Tiffany Cloynes outlines some of the legal requirements councils must consider when reorganising services. |
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Local councils have a ‘statutory duty’ to protect libraries
17/12/2015 Library services are being put at risk through a combination of neglect, short-term thinking and the failure of the Government to carry out their legal duty, according to the My Library By Right (MLBR) campaign. |
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East Sussex proposes reduction in library services to save £500,000
16/12/2015 East Sussex Council is proposing to reduce library-opening hours in a bid to make annual savings of around £500,000. |
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Future of council-run libraries under threat after £50m slashed from budgets
09/12/2015 Funding for council-run libraries was slashed by £50m over the last year bringing into question their long-term sustainability, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). |
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£2.6m promised to improve Wifi in libraries
26/10/2015 Libraries will receive over £2.6m in funding to provide free WiFi to users, according to Arts Council England. |
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Libraries funded to run innovative digital inclusion activity
01/10/2015 Sixteen libraries have been awarded funding by Tinder Foundation to run digital inclusion projects as part of a pilot designed to help people improve their IT skills. |
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Bristol gallery can keep Renoir painting
18/09/2015 Bristol City Council has been told it can keep a Renoir painting which was owned by a Jewish family in Germany and sold at an auction organised by the Nazis |
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All children to be enrolled at a local library pledges minister
19/08/2015 All children over 8-years old will automatically be enrolled at their local library, in a bid to improve literacy and stop the closure of public libraries. |
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Funding boost for free WiFi in libraries
28/07/2015 All libraries in England will be able to offer free WiFi access from March 2016, following £7.1m funding from Arts Council England. |
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Libraries urged to find innovative fund raising strategies
03/06/2015 Libraries need to become ‘risk-taking’ fundraisers if they are to stay afloat yet must retain their ‘core ethos’, a report says. |
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‘Ay up my duck!’ - Dolly Parton gives council exclusive new song
21/05/2015 ‘Nine-to-Five’ superstar Dolly Parton has praised Nottingham City Council for its support of child reading, gifting the town hall an exclusive new song to help local fundraising. |
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Local politicians more trusted than Whitehall finds poll
29/04/2015 A new poll has revealed that residents trust their local politicians twice as much as their Westminster counterparts. |
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Councils predict 2015 will be a year of transformation
24/03/2015 Council bosses believe that while 2015 will be a year of deeper cuts, it will also mark the start of a step-change in the way they deliver services, according to new research. |
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Cameron voices ‘anger’ over Birmingham Library closure plan
20/03/2015 David Cameron has expressed ‘anger’ over planned cuts to opening hours at Birmingham Library put forward by the city council. |
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Pickles gives Enterprising Libraries a cash boost
12/03/2015 Libraries that help local people set up their own business have been given a £650,000 funding boost. |
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Protesters disrupt Birmingham’s budget meeting
04/03/2015 Protesters interrupted Birmingham’s annual budget meeting yesterday, shouting ‘shame on you’ as the council approved a £105m cuts package. |
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Talks begin to protect Birmingham’s library service
07/01/2015 Birmingham City Council has welcomed a proposal for the Library of Birmingham to become a regional centre for the British Library. |
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Survey shows extent of pressure on library services
11/12/2014 The number of libraries, visitors and books borrowed has continued to decline in the past year, according to new figures. |
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Minister unlikely to intervene on Sheffield’s library changes
31/10/2014 Sheffield Council's plan to allow volunteers to run its 15 branch libraries have been branded ‘thorough and well considered’ by the Government. |
