Derbyshire council aims to minimise redundancy risks despite reduced library hours strategy

The Conservative-controlled council’s Cabinet considered at a meeting, on January 9, the authority’s Public Library Service Strategy proposals – entitled A Modern Library Service for Derbyshire – to help save up to £1m after more than 3,800 people took part in a public consultation.

A council officer stated in the Library Strategy report: “A formal consultation with staff and trade unions representing staff affected by any changes to contracts will commence and every effort will be made to minimise any risk of redundancies.”

The council is now set to reduce library hours by about ten per cent with an ‘implementation plan’ after it has targeted a reduction to the Library Service budget of £625,000 between April, 2025, to March, 2029, following previous savings of £285,000 to be carried forward from previous years to achieve a savings total of £910,000 between 2024 and 2029.

Council Leader, Cllr Barry Lewis, has said the aim is to keep library buildings open while creating a modern and sustainable service reflecting changing patterns of library use while ensuring the service remains accessible, efficient and cost-effective.

A council officer added: “A refreshed approach to delivering library services is required to ensure that required budget savings are achieved.

“The draft Library Strategy presented to Cabinet, in July, 2024, has been revised following the 12-week public consultation.

“The Strategy will ensure the long-term provision of Derbyshire County Council’s library service has been informed by the views of residents and is provided within the available budget.”

A new approved strategy for the authority’s 43 council-run libraries includes reducing library hours, changing opening times, moving libraries to new sites in some cases while developing and improving the service’s digital provision.

But the council has stressed the county’s two community-managed services in Tideswell and Woodville will not be affected by reduced opening hours and every library will still remain open for at least 16 hours a week.

Changes to be introduced include: Reducing opening hours by an average of 10per cent by 2025/26 reflecting busy times; Ensuring all libraries open for a time on a Saturday with larger libraries opening until 6pm once a week; Removing reservation charges for book and talking book requests where the item is either in print or in stock, and removing charges for borrowing talking books; And merging the mobile service and home library service with a fleet of smaller, lower carbon vehicles to create one outreach service for vulnerable customers and for those living in remote areas.

Derbyshire’s large Tier 1 library at Chesterfield can expect to see its hours reduced from 51 per week to 47 per week.

Tier 2 medium-sized libraries including Alfreton, Ashbourne, Bakewell, Belper, Bolsover, Buxton, Dronfield, Glossop, Heanor, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Matlock, Ripley and Swadlincote will see their weekly hours reduced from 46 to 43.

Tier 3 small town and village libraries including Borrowash, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Clay Cross, Eckington, Newbold, New Mills, Sandiacre, Shirebrook, South Normanton, Staveley and Wirksworth face seeing their weekly hours reduced from 30 to 27 per week.

Smaller Tier 4 community libraries including Brimington, Clowne, Creswell, Duffield, Etwall, Gamesley, Hadfield, Hayfield, Holmewood, Killamarsh, Melbourne, Old Whittington, Pinxton, Somercotes, Whaley Bridge, Whitwell and Wingerworth face seeing their weekly hours reduced from 18 to 16.

Although, the council ‘s eport explained some Tier 3 and Tier 4 libraries are currently open less than 30 or 18 hours per week.

The council has been examining opportunities to make efficient use of library buildings which could involve re-locating some to new, lower cost, more energy efficient sites, co-locating some with other services or organisations or changing the layout of some library buildings.

It aims to improve digital provision with access to other council services and new self-service terminals in more, smaller libraries with a new way of managing community-supported libraries.

Work on the proposed relocation of Staveley and Clay Cross libraries to new and more efficient buildings is already progressing as part of the Government-funded Staveley and Clay Cross Town Deals.

The council has also stated the library service at the combined Ada Belfield Centre care home and Belper Library, at the same location, will not be affected by possible changes to the council’s remaining care homes.

Cabinet councillors formally approved the revised 2025-29 Library Strategy with an implementation plan and the approved use of £680,345 of earmarked reserves to support the strategy between 2025 and 2027.

It also noted that a consultation with relevant staff and trade unions will get underway with every effort to minimise any risk of redundancies.

Derbyshire County Council is working on saving plans to manage a forecast budget deficit of around £39m for the 2024/25 financial year, and a forecast budget shortfall of £18.6m for the 2025/26 financial year.

The council has blamed its struggles on reduced Government funding, inflation, higher fuel, energy and material costs, the cost of living crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, an increasing demand for services, and an unprecedented increase in demand for adults’ and children’s social care services.