Mobile library service scrapped due to costs

Mobile library van

Devon County Council has scrapped its mobile library service

At a glance

  • Devon County Council has voted to axe its mobile library service due to costs

  • The cabinet agreed to provide £25,000 to help widen access to other library services

  • Councillor Roger Croad, cabinet member responsible for libraries, said people could use community libraries rather than "waiting for a lumbering van"

  • Councillor Alan Connet said the decision was a "pretty poor deal" for Devon residents

Devon County Council has voted to scrap its mobile library service due to costs.

The council said it was not "cost-effective" to replace the four ageing vans in its mobile library fleet.

A report said the vehicles were nearing the end of their serviceable life and estimated it would cost up to £800,000 to replace them.

Cabinet members voted on Wednesday to decommission the vehicles despite opposition from users.

'Pretty poor deal'

The council agreed to provide £25,000 in funding to help vulnerable people who use the service.

Councillor Roger Croad, cabinet member responsible for libraries, said the money would help widen access to existing services, including community libraries.

He said: "People can get together rather than wait on a wet street corner waiting for a lumbering van to come round the corner once every three weeks."

Councillor Alan Connet, who led a campaign to keep the library vans, said he was disappointed with the decision.

"They are actually saving £200,000 cutting the mobile library service and they will save that every year," he said.

"They are saying we will now put in £25,000 in order to see what they can do to help people who will be affected by it - it's a pretty poor deal for the residents of Devon."

'Not sustainable'

Just under half of the 1,197 responses to a consultation launched by the authority included comments, with a majority of these wanting to keep the mobile library service running.

Many described it as one of the last services in rural villages, therefore becoming a place to meet, socialise and catch up with neighbours and the librarians.

A report to the cabinet said the number of book loans from the service has fallen by 68% in the last 10 years, leading the council to conclude it was no longer “cost-effective” and was "not sustainable".

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