Local libraries witness £25m spending shortfall

A new report by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has highlighted that funding for public libraries was cut by £25 million last year.

Total expenditure for Great Britain library services fell by £25 million, from £944 million in 2014/15 to £919 million in 2015/16, while the number of libraries fell by 1.7 per cent year on year, from 3,917 to 3,850 in the same time period.

CIPFA’s annual library survey also revealed a decline in visitors to council-run libraries, with 15 million fewer visits in 2015/16 compared with the previous year.

The report revealed that Birmingham’s Library of Birmingham was the most visited library across the Uk last year, seeing 1,602,070 people visit to use its services. Norfolk & Norwich Millennium library was rated as top of the list for book loans, hitting a figure of 984,445.

On the whole, libraries across Great Britain have seen a 14 per cent reduction in total net expenditure, from £979 million in 2011/12 to £842 million in 2015/16.

It follows a recent announcement by the government’s Libraries Taskforce pledging £4 million to support disadvantaged communities through libraries.

Rob Whiteman, chief executive of CIPFA, said: “This fall in library funding comes at a time of unprecedented budgetary pressures for local councils. In this climate really tough decisions are having to be made about all sorts of services and libraries are just one of the services bearing the brunt.

“But despite the grim outlook, libraries are continuing to transform and innovate, adapting to changing visitor habits and providing a raft of new services and offerings.”