Libraries to close amid council budget cuts

Laburnum Road Library in Redcar, which runs multiple services for the community, will temporarily run as normal

A library group fears people could "suffer badly" as two services are set close, while others will have their hours cut.

Multiple libraries in Teesside will also become community-run.

Redcar and Cleveland Council agreed to cut its annual budget by £400,000 on Tuesday.

The council leader said he had “deep sympathy” for residents, but that the local authority had to “play the hand we are dealt”.

As part of the cuts, Brotton Library, in Saltburn, and Roseberry Library, in Redcar, will close in May.

A charity will take over Middlesbrough's Grangetown Library in April, whereas Dormanstown Library, in Redcar, will be staffed by volunteers in partnership with the council.

Opening hours will also be cut across seven of the local authority’s eight libraries, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Labour council leader Alec Brown said the administration had inherited an £8m overspend and there was no low-hanging fruit left to pick off.

'Not sustainable'

Laburnum Road Library in Redcar will continue to run as normal while a community group is sought to take it over.

Paul White, a member of the Friends of Laburnum Road Library group, said a community-run facility could also not guarantee book lending in the long run.

“Once you start relying on volunteers, it’s not sustainable – you may run out of funds,” he said.

The council also run multiple services in the building for the local ageing population, he said.

“It has council branding,” he said. “It’s run by council staff and it’s where the officialdom and expertise comes from in the building.”

“There’s no council services for miles around the radius of the library,” he added.

“Many people are going to suffer badly [if the library is lost].”

Redcar and Cleveland Council have been approached for comment.