Library review will see staff and opening hours cut

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STAFFING and opening hours at both of Redditch's libraries are set to be slashed as part of a wide-ranging review of the service.

Between 28 and 30 full-time jobs will be lost across Worcestershire under the plan, which will also see Redditch Borough Council's One Stop Shop merge with Woodrow Library to cut costs. It is also planned to bring other council and non-council run services into Redditch Library while other options such as closing a floor of the Market Place building to rent out and shutting the library for at least one day a week are also being looked at. In future it is likely both libraries will open for periods when they are not manned by staff but residents will still be able to use the self-service machines.

Other cuts will see the budget for buying books reduced by £100,000 and charges for overdue fines and renting out items such as DVDs will also rise. The move is aimed at cutting £1.8million from the council's budget. A set of proposals will now be drawn up based on user data for each of the libraries which will go out for consultation next year.

Coun John Campion, responsible for localism and communities on the county council, said they were not taking the easy way out by simply closing libraries but trying to work with residents to find local sustainable solutions.

"We believe this two pronged approach can actually protect both libraries, so we are not weakening both to save both, I actually think you strengthen both by working with others, so I actually see it as a positive not a negative. There's no proposal on the table to close the main Redditch Library and no proposal on the table to close Woodrow Library so the main outcome of all this is we can still offer a library service to both communities," he said.

"I keep a very watchful eye on usage and we are very keen to ensure where problems are identified, they are identified early and we can come up with ways to get around them and we need to be willing to adjust course to ensure it does not happen.

"I am confident we will continue to provide a comprehensive library service across the county and I think Redditch is especially well served in terms of library services and one the county can be proud of."