Cheshire East library opening hours to be cut to save money

Crewe library will see opening times reduced by 10 hours a week from November

Library opening hours in East Cheshire are set to be cut in a bid to save money.

Cheshire East Council had been proposing to reduce opening times by up to 16 hours a week in some areas, but scaled back after residents' feedback.

Libraries in Crewe and Macclesfield will see the the biggest cuts of 10 hours a week

Overall, the changes, set to come on 1 November, are expected to save almost £900,000 a year.

Libraries in Alsager, Poynton, Sandbach, Congleton, Knutsford and Nantwich are among those to be affected.

Consultation took place earlier this year, with the bigger libraries facing the largest reduction in opening hours.

Cheshire East Council, run by a Labour-Independent coalition, said it was facing "significant financial pressure", with a £20m funding gap.

Household finances

The local authority said it had also received interest from six town and parish councils, which could see them take over the running of some local libraries in April.

It is considering turning off street lights and reviewing car parking charges as part of measures to make savings faced by councils across the country.

The council has also announced plans to introduce a garden waste collection charge of £56 a year from January.

Neighbouring authority Cheshire West and Chester Council charges £40 for green waste collection, while Warrington Council charges £39 if applied for online.

Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee, said the costs associated with collecting green waste had risen "considerably", adding it was not a core service that councils were required to provide.

"We do of course recognise the pressures on people's household finances, which is why residents will only pay for the service if they opt into the scheme and it remains free for residents to dispose of their garden waste at our household waste recycling centres," he said.

Measures will be discussed by the council's Environment and Communities Committee on 27 July.