Library 'thriving' since town council take over

Jo Reay has managed Newport Town Council since 2022

A town council library has recruited additional staff and increased its opening hours since taking over the running of the service.

The success of Newport Library in Shropshire is in contrast to many in the UK, with nearly 950 libraries reducing their opening hours and more than 2,000 jobs lost since 2016, according to a BBC investigation.

Newport Town Council took control of the library in April from Telford and Wrekin Borough Council, in a deal to save it from the authority's spending cuts.

Council manager Jo Reay said it had "been incredibly exciting" and "a whirlwind" five months.

Nationally, more than 180 council-run facilities have either been closed or handed over to volunteer groups over the past eight years.

In Telford and Wrekin, six of the nine public libraries are now managed by community organisations such as town councils.

"We absolutely had to step in to save the library," said Jo Reay.

"It had been closed on Thursdays for quite some time ... so one of the first things we did was recognise that we needed to be open more, so we're back open on Thursdays.

"We need to be here, we need to be open, and the community needs to be able to come into this space," she added.

The library has introduced additional clubs and events, such as meet-the-author evenings, a poetry workshop and a weekly Lego club.

Two new members of staff have been recruited to manage the additional workload.

The town council predicts the library will cost around £105,000 a year to run, although Telford and Wrekin Council will contribute £78,000 a year until 2027.

New staff have been recruited at Newport Library

Telford and Wrekin Council and neighbouring Shropshire Council have each closed a library in the last eight years.

Dawley Library, which was inside the former Phoenix Academy on Duce Drive, and the library in Shawbury both closed in 2016.

Shropshire Council still runs 13 libraries, with eight others being operated by community groups, such as charities and town councils.

Further cuts are expected to Shropshire Council's library services as the local authority looks to save £62m from its budget this financial year.

A government spokesperson said it recognised “pressures” facing libraries and it was “committed to giving stability back to local councils so services such as these can best meet the needs of their communities”.