Barnet Council’s mobile library service is set to stop in July and the opening hours of four libraries will also be cut in a bid to save money.
The decision was made at a cabinet meeting on Monday (19th) to retire Barnet’s mobile library service, reduce the opening hours of four library branches, and to cease the supply of newspapers in libraries.
Around £250,000 will be saved following the implementation of the changes, the council estimates, with a general “service restructure” also taking place.
Self-service opening hours at Chipping Barnet, Colindale, Edgware and Finchley Church End libraries will be reduced from 7am-10pm to 8am-8pm – three fewer hours per day.
Self-service opening allows eligible library card members to access buildings during unstaffed hours, with the agreed council cuts effectively shutting the libraries to all for longer.
But the council says the change will help “contain increases in building running costs” such as utility costs, as well as “reduce annual security costs by around £15,000”.
There will be no changes to the opening hours of the other ten council-run libraries.
Use of libraries was “always lowest in the first hours of opening and the last hours of business” a council report stated.
During a public consultation, increasing “staffed opening hours” was supported by the majority of residents, which the council has agreed to look into.
The council said the move to axe its mobile library service was due to a “gradual decrease” in its use and estimated the deletion would save the council an estimated £125,000 annually.
The mobile library provides a book-lending service across the borough between Tuesdays and Fridays, currently making a total of 18 stops with visits being either weekly or monthly. Stops consist of either street sites, sheltered accommodation, and schools or nurseries.
Anne Clarke, cabinet member for culture, leisure, arts and sports, said the mobile library service ending would not affect the home library service, which takes books and other resources to people unable to get to a library.
Hannah Richens, a council officer, explained: “It is very important to say we do retain the home library service and we will be able to transition any of those residents who are currently using the mobile library, but feel that they can’t reach a static service point, on to the home library service so that they are still receiving a library service.”
Hannah also confirmed the schools library service would be continuing.
It is hoped that no longer purchasing hard-copy newspapers, which was halted in October last year, will save the council around £28,000 annually. The decision was taken, according to the report, in response to “budget pressures”.
The report stated the borough was “not alone” in proposing this measure with many library services in London and across the UK choosing to only provide access to newspapers and magazines in electronic format.
Prior to their removal, Barnet libraries subscribed to numerous titles including The Times, The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph and The Voice.
Local Democracy Reporter Grace Howarth covers the London boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), reporting on local government, housing, planning and community issues.
