Book charity founder says library cuts are sad

Bradford Council is planning to make cuts totalling £175,000 to its library service

The woman behind a Bradford book charity has described planned cuts to library hours as "sad".

Bradford Council is planning to cut £175,000 from library services, meaning the district's 10 council-run sites would reduce opening hours by up to 15%

Jan Winter, who set up Canterbury Imagination Library, said: “It’s always sad to see any reduction in library services as access to free books in a safe space is so important to developing a love of reading."

Christine May, manager of Bradford Libraries, said the changes would achieve savings and have "less of an impact" on statutory services.

At a meeting of the council’s executive on Wednesday afternoon members voted to move ahead with the proposals, with consultations on the reduced hours to begin shortly.

The report to members acknowledged the changes could lead to redundancies.

It said the cuts could see libraries close early or open late on some days – or close for an hour over lunch.

Ms Winter, whose charity provides children in some of Bradford's poorest areas with free books, said parents were doing good for their children by using libraries

“The new government says it has a focus on the importance of Early Years and I hope there might be more funding for young children, including improved access to high quality experiences in their local libraries,” she added.

Another cut will see the council ending its policy of providing national newspapers in libraries, which is expected to save £11,000 each year.

Officers assured councillors at the meeting that the volunteer-run libraries in the district, as well as "hybrid" libraries that are run by a mix of council staff and volunteers, would not be affected.

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