Library service funding cuts delayed to next year

York's library services are facing funding cuts of up to £600,000

Cuts to York’s library service set to be made as part of efforts to plug a hole in the city council's finances have been delayed, the authority has confirmed.

Explore York, which runs the city’s libraries and archives, will have to cut £600,000 next year rather than over a two-year period as originally planned.

City of York Council's culture executive member, Pete Kilbane, said he was confident Explore would continue to deliver a comprehensive service.

But Liberal Democrat councillor Darryl Smalley, who oversaw libraries during the previous council administration, said the delay showed the cuts had failed at the first hurdle and should be scrapped.

Prior to the approval of funding cuts in February, Explore's chief executive, Jenny Layfield, said the organisation would not accept them.

She said Explore was not a part of the council and its contract could only be cut with the agreement of both parties.

The council has since had discussions with Explore and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport about the cuts.

Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the council informed them of reductions to their library needs assessments in line with good practice.

Explore declined to comment on the delay.

Kilbane said neither party wanted to make the cuts but savings needed to be found and libraries had not faced any cuts since 2014.

He said the Labour administration had inherited a £44m black hole in the council’s finances, which now stands at an estimated £30m over the next three years.

But Smalley said more than 3,000 people had signed the opposition group’s petition opposing the cuts, showing the depth of feeling on the issue.

Smalley said: “It’s truly astonishing that Labour’s council bosses thought that they could cut £300,000 from York Explore’s contract unilaterally.

“If they intend to go ahead with this cut, Labour must now set out which services they will no longer provide."

Explore was set up in 2014 and runs 15 libraries, including York Explore in Library Square which houses the city’s archives on the council’s behalf.

It also runs five reading cafes, a mobile library and home service, and employs more than 80 people.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.