Library to be run by community group

Community Stepping Stones will take over the library

A library has been handed over to a community group due to budget cuts.

Redcar and Cleveland Council agreed earlier this year that Laburnum Road Library should be handed over to such a group as part of wider plans to cut its annual budget by £400,000.

The local authority announced the building will be run by Community Stepping Stones and will remain a "public library".

The group has been approached for comment.

The council said the library was closed in September due to refurbishment works and it would be opened under new management "as soon as possible".

It said opening hours would be the same as before "as a minimum", noting they could increase as the operator aimed to run "lots of vibrant clubs, events and activities".

People using the new library will be able to borrow books, order books from other libraries and use publicly available computers, a council spokesperson said.

Saltburn's Brotton Library and Redcar's Roseberry Library have closed as part of the Labour-led council's wider library cuts,