Councillor Emily Arkell, Cabinet Member for Culture & Leisure, confirmed the implementation of changes to library operating hours, which had been previously approved by the Cabinet in December 2024. These changes, which include maintaining lunchtime opening and increasing lone-working practices, aim to address the council's financial challenges while fulfilling its statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, as required by the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964¹. The decision follows staff consultation, and the development and testing of a revised staffing structure.

Variation of Libraries Operating Hours

Councillor Emily Arkell confirmed the implementation of the variation to libraries’ operating hours, originally approved by the Cabinet on 10 December 2024. The decision was made after a staff consultation and the development and testing of a revised staffing structure.

The council has a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service. To address how it would continue to deliver the library service in the context of the council’s challenging financial position, officers undertook a detailed Needs Assessment and Equalities Impact Assessment² to inform the proposal agreed by Cabinet in December 2024. The public consultation that was carried out between August and October 2024 provided feedback on how consultees used the libraries and what they most valued about them. Following that consultation, Cabinet adopted Option 3, which mitigated the impact of reducing library hours, specifically including the impact on those with protected characteristics.

The changes approved in Option 3 included maintaining lunchtime opening to enable continuous access to all library services without midday interruptions. For this to be possible, the library service had to increase existing lone-working practices, and this was a particular focus of the consultation with staff and Trade Unions. Advice was also sought from the Council’s Health & Safety team and a number of measures were implemented, including staff training, provision of lone-working devices and coverage of all libraries with CCTV, to ensure staff and customer safety.

Alternative options that were considered but rejected included taking no action, and alternative proposals that were put forward during the staff consultation. Some alternatives were adopted, such as retention of the Library Development function and Home Library Service. Others, such as concerns over lone working, were considered carefully and mitigations to identified risks were found.

Deputations

A deputation was presented by John Fynaut, Theresa Finnegan, Sarah McGuire and Ana Reynal, requesting an increase in total weekly hours for Alexandra Park library, leading to an increase in the number of days Alexandra Park would be open. The deputation suggested that the current allocation was not consistent with actual usage nor considered Equal Opportunities for protected groups, and that the decision did not consider the wide area served. They explained that the community had undertaken a volunteer survey to determine the request for an increase in total weekly hours for Alexandra Park library.

The deputation explained that the site was well used as a congregation site for students, by new parents, disabled, pensioners, council staff and other diverse groups, and suggested that the council needed to consider the equalities implications for the site better.

Councillor Emily Arkell responded that the council had protected and invested £4.9 million in the borough's libraries from the effect and impact of austerity however possible despite rising pressures on the council's finances. In December 2024, Cabinet agreed to reduce opening hours to around the capital's average to keep all nine libraries open despite severe financial pressures. She stressed that the Alexandra Park Library had been treated equitably in comparison with other libraries across the borough, and that the changes were part of a boroughwide strategy to keep libraries open.

Councillor Emily Arkell explained that the council had undertaken a fair consultation, and had worked with residents and central government, as well as gained feedback from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

She explained that toilet access would be a potential issue, but that the council would be reviewing a Toilet Strategy and Action Plan which would look to deliver improvements to toilet access in the borough.

It was finally noted in the response that the council would, in early 2026, be looking to review a library strategy.