Nantwich Library looks set to be closed every Friday and half a day on Mondays under new service budget cuts proposed by Cheshire East Council.
The details emerged in a letter to Nantwich Town Council from the CEC’s director of environment and neighbourhoods.
The town council is now considering whether to provide “top up” funding to keep the library open on those proposed closure days.
But this agreement would have to be for a minimum of three years, with a minimum of at least one half day per week being funded.
It could cost the town council at least £22,103 a year to pay for staffing if it re-opened the library for half a day throughout a single year, as well as any employee pay awards.
So from April 2024, it would cost the town council £22,103 a year for half a day opening, £44,206 for a full day re-opening, and £66,309 for one and a half days.
Cheshire East is looking to close a £20 million funding gap in its budget, but its proposals to cut opening hours and funding for books for the borough’s libraries have been heavily criticised.
In the letter, director of environment and neighbourhoods Tom Shuttleworth said: “We will be looking for any local councils who confirm their intention to progress with funding of top up services to be entering into funding arrangements around October/November 2023.”
Nantwich Town Council councillors are set to discuss the information and whether it could provide “top up” service when it holds its next monthly meetings at the Civic Hall on Thursday, July 13.
(Nantwich library pic by Google)
Labour run #CheshireEast can afford a £11m multi storey car park in Crewe town centre, which nobody asked for, nobody wants and very few will use, and afford to pay their Cheif Exec an eye watering £4,637 per WEEK , etc. etc. but can’t afford to keep a vital service open ?????
Labour have totally the wrong priorities for @CheshireEast.
Would be better if the space was used efficiently, maybe adding in services you get at the civic to share costs, seems rather inefficient to start to close a public building on a couple of days a week, this only saves a small amount maybe look at repurposing the building social housing comes to mind
I was thinking the same
It was a complete waste of time and clearly lip service to the process if the decision has already been made.
So much for CE seeking some innovation to try and keep the library open for longer.
Surely the results of the survey (which by the way the printed version was a waste of paper) are not ready yet