Read-in protests planned over library closures

Basford Library is one of the centres earmarked for closure

Campaigners are set to stage read-in protests at libraries earmarked for closure in Nottingham.

Nottingham City Council announced in May it was planning to close sites in Aspley, Basford, Bilborough and Radford-Lenton in a bid to save £1.5m over two years.

The move has been met with anger from some users, who staged a knitting protest in the city centre last month.

A consultation on the potential closures ends on 19 August.

The Save Nottingham Libraries group said the read-in protests would see library members selecting books to read together "in a peaceful demonstration of solidarity", adding they hoped to encourage new members to register at threatened sites.

Demonstrations will take place from 09:30 BST on Saturday at Bilborough, with another scheduled for 09:30 at Basford on 17 August.

A similar event had been scheduled for Radford-Lenton on Saturday, but will now take place outside the building after the library was vandalised.

Sian Steans, from the Save Nottingham Libraries group, said it was "disappointed" to have to resume campaigning after fighting off a bid to close centres in 2022.

"The council has not listened to the previous consultation, where nearly 3,000 people responded, with over two-thirds opposing the closures," she said.

"We hope the council will understand from this consultation, which threatens even more of the service than before, that Nottingham wants, needs, and deserves all its libraries to remain open for our communities."

The city council has been approached for comment, but previously said it faced a "daunting and challenging task" regarding its finances.

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