Parish Councils to Fund Extended Library Operating Hours

Certain parish councils within Cheshire are poised to contribute financially to enable extended operating hours for local libraries. This initiative comes as Cheshire East Council aims to decrease hours at specific locations, forming part of a broader strategy to achieve nearly £100 million in savings across the upcoming four-year period. Specifically, parish councils in regions such as Alderley Edge, Bollington, and Poynton are prepared to contribute funds to maintain longer library opening times. Under these proposals, all libraries will be categorized into distinct tiers, which will dictate their respective opening schedules. Libraries situated in Congleton, Crewe, Macclesfield, Nantwich, and Wilmslow have been designated as tier one. Meanwhile, Alsager, Holmes Chapel, Knutsford, Middlewich, Poynton, and Sandbach are slated for tier two classification. Alderley Edge, Bollington, Disley, and Handforth are designated to become tier three libraries, referred to as community libraries. A consultation regarding these plans garnered approximately 3,500 responses, revealing that 49% supported the proposed tier system, while 37% opposed it. Parish councils located in Alderley Edge, Bollington, Disley, Handforth, and Poynton have committed to financing certain supplementary operating hours. Knutsford Town Council is currently discussing a volunteer-operated service for a single day, and Macclesfield Town Council is exploring the possibility of providing additional library funding by integrating the visitor information centre into the existing facility. Bollington Town Council is providing the most substantial financial contribution, covering 50% of its current opening hours. Councils in Crewe and Nantwich currently provide supplementary funding for their respective libraries. Mick Warren, who chairs Cheshire East Council’s environment and communities committee, stated that the council’s objective is to persist in enhancing its library services. He further commented, “Unprecedented financial pressures mean we must also be realistic about how these services are delivered and that the limited resources the council has are focused on the places where demand and need is greatest.” The environment and communities committee of the council is scheduled to approve these plans on Wednesday (27 November).