Nearly half of England’s library staff have been lost since 2010, leaving services stretched after years of austerity, according to new research from UNISON.
The union’s analysis of council data found staffing levels fell by 47% between 2010/11 and 2024/25. Library services employed 17,902 staff in 2010/11, compared with 9,497 today – a reduction of 8,406 full-time roles.
Some of the steepest cuts were recorded in Sunderland (89%), Walsall (83%) and Sutton (79%), all of which experienced significant real-terms funding reductions.
Public access has also declined, with opening hours dropping by 22% over the same period. Councils have increasingly relied on unstaffed hours, which rose from just over 13,000 to more than 212,000.
UNISON said the findings, published in its Closing Chapters report, highlight the impact of long-term funding pressures. The union is calling on the Government to provide sustained investment so councils can rebuild services and restore library staffing levels.
