UK library cuts a concern for Epsom & Ewell?
With 132 libraries closing permanently between 2016-2023 in England, there are growing concerns of further actions from local councils to make savings at the expense of public libraries. Should Epsom & Ewell be concerned?
Since 2016, the UK has witnessed a net loss of 185 public libraries from Council’s statutory services. In total 132 libraries were permanently closed in England, with a further 29 expected to follow suit in 2024.
Former Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen has expressed great concern, stating “Every time I hear of a library being closed I find it absolutely horrifying… this seems to be like a decimation of our cultural entitlement.”
Permanent closures are not the only growing worry surrounding UK libraries. Libraries Connected Chief Executive Isobel Hunter MBE acknowledged that “it is also a gradual reduction in opening hours, staff numbers and operating budgets that can leave libraries unable to meet the needs of their communities”.
A government spokesperson responded “We recognise the pressures [libraries] face, and are committed to giving stability back to local councils so services such as these can best meet the needs of their communities.”
How have libraries in Surrey and Epsom & Ewell fared since 2016?
Surrey:
Unlike several local councils, the Surrey County Council has not permanently closed any libraries since 2016. All 52 libraries are still running, 42 of which are council-run with the other 10 being community partnerships.
The Surrey County Council’s 2024/25 budget indicates that they intend to enable libraries to meet the changing needs of communities while also ensuring library assets are fit and sustainable for the future.
One change Surrey has seen however is that 29 libraries are now operating with reduced hours.
Epsom & Ewell:
Of the 4 libraries in Epsom & Ewell, two are council-run (Epsom library and Ewell library). Between 2016-2023, both have been subject to the reduction of operating hours, with the council-run libraries reducing their open hours by 4.5 hours per week.
Despite the concerns of closures elsewhere, Surrey County Council is investing in several of its libraries, with Epsom library included.
A £23.2million investment for the transformation of Surrey libraries was approved by the Surrey County Council earlier this year, aiming to modernise services and create flexible spaces. Epsom, alongside Woking and Redhill, will see the creation of flagship facilities, including;
Flexible meeting rooms
Moveable partitions/walls to create workspaces
Meeting pods
New furniture
A fully flexible layout
Epsom will additionally have ‘super access technology’ to allow access to library services outside its opening hours (during “super access hours”). This intends to resolve the reduction of opening hours by allowing people to use the library facilities even if no staff are present. The system has a library card and pin code access point to enter the building, and self scan kiosks to check books in/out.
With works already starting, as of the 5th of August 2024, Surrey County Council expects the final completion day to be in February 2025.
Despite this investment, Surrey County Council have outlined that libraries income pressures will continue in 2024/25, as outlined in their 2024/25 Budget & Medium-Term Financial Strategy to 2028/29.
Reliance on volunteer work:
1 of the 10 community-run libraries in Surrey is the Stoneleigh Community library, which has previously suffered from cuts. In 2011 the Surrey County Council voted to let go of most of the full time staff there, forcing the library to appeal for volunteers. After the judicial technical challenge and revised proposal, the volunteer group Friends of Stoneleigh library was formed in 2013 to reopen and run the library, and as of 2016 had around 70 volunteers.
Today the library still holds regular activities and special events, acting as a social hub for the Stoneleigh community. The Friends of Stoneleigh Library offers a variety of volunteer roles from administrative work to helping the running of events.
The other community partnership library in Epsom & Ewell is Ewell Court Library, listed alongside the Stoneleigh Community Library in initial plans to reduce spending in 2011/12. Open 4 days a week, the community library offers a wide array of services, with the help of its volunteers.
