Cobbett Road Library, which was saved from closure in February, is facing a possible reduction in opening hours of around a third under the Conservative’s draft budget proposals, out for public consultation until December 21.A 9.5-hour cut in opening times is under consideration at Cobbett Road, as well as at libraries in Burgess Road, Woolston, Thornhill and Weston. Currently Cobbett Road is only open on Mondays (9.5 hrs), Wednesdays (7 hrs), Fridays (9.5 hrs) and Saturday mornings (3.5 hrs).
Final proposals will be drawn up as a result of the consultation process, and cabinet members say they are keen to listen to new ideas and to receive feedback to help them with their process.
Fit for the 21st century
The Conservative’s Culture & Leisure spokesman Cllr John Hannides said: "We are committed to providing a library service fit for the 21st century. Our current provision was largely designed over 80 years ago and we need to engage with our customers to identify how we can best improve this vital service. Pressure has been building in recent years to close the Cobbett Road Library and the new Conservative administration has resisted this. Rationalisation of opening hours is a reflection of the very tight budgetary constraints across the board and we took the view that we would prefer to sustain the Library provision in the City, albeit with slightly reduced hours, rather than be compelled to seek closures."
Council cabinet papers say library hours will be reviewed and reductions targeted at quieter times in consultation with library users.
Closure by stealth
But Cobbett library user Rachel Hickman, who was involved with the campaign to save the facility earlier in the year, said: “It seems to be the next attempt to put nails in the coffin of Cobbett Library, and the library service as a whole. Instead of straight forward threats of closure it is closure by stealth.”
Campaigners have said that Cobbett Road Library offers services much in demand - annual issue figures showed Cobbett had the largest increase in the city for 2006/07. It is located in an area some distance from other library facilities, and the meeting room at the Library is used throughout the week by a range of community groups: similar resources are thin on the ground elsewhere in the ward.
Friends
Friends of Cobbett Road Library, a group set up following the campaign to keep the Library open in February, meet on Saturday October 27 at 11am at the Library, where the proposal is expected to be high on the agenda.
Feedback on the proposals can be This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. between October 30 and December 21, or posted to:
Budget Feedback
Southampton City Council
Civic Centre
Southampton
SO14 7DL
Members of staff at the Library can also forward written comments to the postal address.
Links
Link to the Echo's report (Friday 26)
City chiefs plan huge cutbacks to rein in council tax - Echo
Council axe to fall on swimming scheme used by 5,000 children - Echo
You can read the budget proposal from links starting here:
Specific information about libraries is in this appendix, downloadable as a PDF.