A library which costs almost £20 per visit after visitor numbers plummeted when it was moved inside a school is now slated to close on 21 July.
People living in Mile Oak are being asked for feedback on the plans to close their library – but with its annual £35,000 budget already gone, its future looks bleak.
A amendment to Brighton and Hove City Council’s budget in February failed after councillors were told so few people now go there, each visit costs £19.02.
One reason given for low visitor numbers is its move to within Portslade Aldridge Community Academy, and its current opening hours of 2pm to 5pm on weekdays, plus Saturday mornings.
The consultation says: “Part of the library service savings plan, as agreed by the BHCC Budget Council, includes the closure of Mile Oak Public Library in order to achieve a saving through reduction of premises and staff costs.
“We have looked at data on how libraries across the city are currently used and propose closure of the library.
“The decision was based on the number of customers who use Mile Oak Public Library compared to the other community libraries.”
The council said that Mile Oak Public Library averaged 150 visits per month in the year before March 2023.
The library, situated within Portslade Aldridge Community Academy, costs the council £19.02 per customer, compared to 78p for other Brighton and Hove libraries.
The consultation will run for four weeks until Monday, 5 June.
You can complete the public consultation survey here: https://consultations.brighton-hove.gov.uk/neighbourhoods-communities/mile-oak-public-library-consultation/
Does anyone really use libraries the days for purpose of borrowing books? May be useful as a community centre with internet access, providing desk space, and for photocopying, but otherwise is it just a place where librarians work?
With the announced low number of users and hence high cost per hire, it would be cheaper to order books from Amazon and have them delivered to customers.
Indeed whilst I hate to see any public library go at £20 a visit this is simply does not stack up economically in this environment.
It’s a very fair point Peter, and what you’re describing, to me, sounds better placed as a community centre. I wonder what the local provision is at the moment in Mile Oak, and perhaps that could be where efforts are retasked?
The loss of any branch library is sad. But this now has been cut so thin that itit seems to barely open for 20 hors a weeks. And clearly being inside a school isn’t the best for the community at large.
People use libraries for a multitude of reasons these days: computers, books, newspapers, warmth (!), as a working space, events, book clubs etc.
We need to assess what the city needs as well as what it can afford. Sadly that may well mean the loss of some branch libraries.
There’s not much else in Mile Oak for the community. Other libraries have adapted, with a mix of books, periodicals and audio and video – online and in conventional formats. They also provide computers and internet connections for those can’t get online as easily as most of us. This is a test of Labour’s mettle. Do they really care about those in most need, can they find creative solutions to challenging problems or are they just cost-cutting Tories with red rosettes?
The short opening hours reduce its usage.
Move the library to a community space, open 10am to 6pm, serve coffee, make it a community space as well as a library. Local libraries have to multi-task in order to succeed now.
Indeed, multiple-use community spaces have been flourishing in parts of the city, and supporting them to provide book material might be a much better method.
This had been suggested for Hove Public Library and moving it to the Hove Museum site, but literary activists (I know this conjures up amusing images) fought to stop this happening.
Interesting they would advocate losing a resource completely rather than a compromise. What was their reasoning?