Libraries may have to reduce hours

7:00am Saturday 17th February 2007

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LIBRARIES have been told they might have to cut their hours to save the council £152,000.

Buckinghamshire County Council said the revised opening times would avoid further library closures as a way of cutting costs.

They would also help a major new library in High Wycombe's Eden project to go ahead as planned.

Proposed reductions vary across the county's 23 libraries, between half-an-hour to 13-and-a-half hours a week. Libraries hit the hardest are Gerrards Cross, Chesham, Chalfont St Peter, and Hazlemere.

High Wycombe's library meanwhile, bucks the trend by opening for an extra half-an-hour a week.

A public consultation, which began on Monday, is giving users a chance to have their say on whether these new opening hours meet the demands of communities.

Gerrards Cross is set to lose 13-and-a-half hours of opening time while Chesham loses nine, Chalfont St Peter eight-and-a-half, and Hazlemere sheds seven-and-a-half hours. Castlefield and Flackwell Heath's opening times remain unchanged.

Cllr Margaret Dewar, the cabinet member responsible for libraries, said: "This consultation continues our approach of adapting the library service to meet the changing needs of our customers.

"I would encourage people to let us know when they would most like to use their libraries so we can try and tailor opening hours to the communities' wishes.

"We also need to ensure that we are making the best of our limited resources in the face of increasing financial pressures on the council."

The proposed opening times come after the county council's cabinet agreed a recommended budget on February 5. This is still to be approved on Thursday.

The times would save an estimated £152,000 towards an overall service saving of £503,000 by March 2008. It would be made by reducing staff hours but the county council says it is keen to avoid compulsory redundancies.

It has tried to change hours according to the population size of library catchment areas while ensuring nearby library opening times are complimentary.

It says research shows that users' lifestyles have changed, and that they prefer to attend libraries at different times than before.

The consultation finishes at the end of March. Visit www.buckscc.gov.uk to take part or obtain a paper copy from libraries and council offices.