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August 20, 2006
The next round of library closures
I keep warning that unless some quite urgent steps are taken there will be further rounds of library closures in the next year. If there have been almost one hundred this year, it's not hard to suggest that there will be three or four hundred next year. Nothing is being done that is radical enough to prevent them.
Looking back at the figures for 2004/5, it was possible to predict which councils were most likely to close libraries. On the list of the 20 most vulnerable in England (I shall do separate lists for Scotland and Wales)
Northumberland
Rutland
Doncaster
Cumbria
Shropshire
Calderdale
Telford & Wrekin
Isle of Wight
North Lincolnshire
Durham
Devon
North Yorkshire
Lincolnshire
Leicestershire
Somerset
Wiltshire
North Somerset
Cambridgeshire
Dorset
East Riding of Yorkshire
I have marked the ones that did close some libraries, or, in the case of Cumbria and Somerset who are going to extraordinary lengths to prevent closures. There will, I'm sure be other councils taking preventive action, too and many which have excellent operations (I know Shrpshire do) but if I were in the DCMS/MLA, these are where my resource and effort would be directed.
One can anticipate that they will all need help next year as well as will many others.
This is an approximate analysis based only on resources available, but because it doesn't contain Lancashire and Buckinghamshire who also closed a lot of libraries, it does raise the question as to the operation of those two councils.
The next 10 are
Rotherham
Kent
South Gloucestershire
Suffolk
Gloucestershire
North East Lincolnshire
Norfolk
Cornwall
Nottinghamshire
Middlesbrough
Posted by Perkins at August 20, 2006 9:49 AM
Comments
our small library in Old Town, Swindon, is earmarked for closure, ostensibly to help pay for the running costs of a new super-library in the town centre, once it is fully commissioned. my petition against this proposal has so far gathered about 76 names. any advice? i have got into the local paper and may go on local radio this week. there does not seem to be any public consultation that i have heard of, nor have the local councillors responded to my emails or even acknowledged them. i fear the library will close willy nilly.
Posted by: shirley burnham at January 21, 2008 8:42 AM