Up to three community libraries could close while customer services look likely to be moved out of the town hall and into remaining libraries in Brighton and Hove.
The possible changes are outlined in a report to Brighton and Hove City Council’s People Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The report said that the closures of the yet unidentified libraries were part of a £250,000 saving plan over two years. The council currently spends £3.7 million a year on libraries.
Opposition councillors have already raised concerns – during the annual budget meeting – about reduced opening hours at the Jubilee Library, in Brighton, and at the Carnegie Library, in Hove, to save £69,000.
A report to the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee said that at least 10 libraries in Brighton and Hove would stay open, maintaining a “geographic spread”.
Seven community libraries have been co-located with other services, including at the Whitehawk Hub, Saltdean Lido, Westdene School and Hollingbury Old Boat Community Centre.
Councils are required to provide a comprehensive library service.
The report said: “A range of mitigations have been identified to offset the impact of reductions in public library services.
“These include but are not limited to Libraries Extra (which) enables customers to access libraries when they are unstaffed, contributing to the accessibility of services.
“A full range of online services, with free access to e-books and e-audio, are available 24/7.
“The home delivery service delivers library resources direct to the homes of those who cannot come to a library due to disability or caring responsibilities.”
The February budget papers included a £27,000 cut to the home delivery service by “deleting a vacant post”.
The report to the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee said that the customer service centres at Hove Town Hall and Bartholomew House, in Brighton, were due to close from Tuesday 6 May.
Instead, a face-to-face customer service helpdesk would operate at the Jubilee Library and at Hove Library from 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
Library staff are receiving training and customer service staff will be working in the libraries in May to help with the transition.
The report said: “Existing customer service capacity will be integrated with the library officer role, which will result in a team of 40 library officers with enhanced skills to provide face-to-face support.
“All library staff will be trained to understand common council processes and to effectively assist customers with inquiries, eg, parking and council tax inquiries, supporting digitally excluded residents, signposting to Library Connect digital support volunteers.”
Self-service customer computers and phone lines would also be made available in all 13 public libraries. But a separate “front door” for housing need customers was required, the report said.
Skills and employability services would also move to the Jubilee Library from September.
In July 2023, the council closed Mile Oak Library because of low visitor numbers as part of budget cuts.
The People Overview and Scrutiny Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm next Tuesday (18 March). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
Support library services into cheaper venues, like community centres. They have better recourse to additional funding, and are more sustainable in the long-term. Then network them together with the main libraries in a hub and spoke model, again saving costs.
There’s ways to do this outside of just shutting a few down, in my opinion.
Maybe if they cut back on those “golden” pensions or stopped the vanity projects.
Time for a deep dive into how much money this useless council wastes… batten down the hatches
What’s happening to the existing customer service staff once they’ve trained-up the library staff? Are they going to be located in the libraries, be the ones offering a phone service or what? In my opinion, these staff are already very experienced and trained. I can imagine if they have an aggressive customer in the library, lots of projectiles to be thrown and damaged.