South Gloucestershire Council warned over library cuts by Unison

A budget agreed in February 2023 requires the council to reduce spending on libraries

A union says proposed budget cuts to libraries of nearly £500,000 will leave a council unable to meet its legal duty to provide an efficient service.

South Gloucestershire Council is proposing a reduction in staffed hours in order to save money.

Unison, the public service union, said the proposals would have a "major impact" on library staff and users.

The council said it is committed to ensuring opening hours reflect when most people use the service.

It has said it will not shut any branches.

The council carried out a 12-week public consultation from October to January which gave four options to cut £473,000 from its annual libraries budget.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 3,900 people responded to the consultation, which found that fewer staffed hours, a funding cut for books and a management restructure could save money.

More than 53% of respondents said they would be less likely to visit their local library if staffing hours were cut, while 17% said it would prevent them or their children from going at all.

'Vital service'

Dan Smart, from Unison, said the cuts would be "unsustainable".

"Unison are completely opposed to these cuts which reduce jobs for our members and target a vital service in our communities."

A council spokesperson said: "We have received significant amounts of feedback through the public consultation on potential changes to the library services and we are in the process of considering these views before bringing a set of proposals to cabinet for their decision in the middle of April.

"The budget agreed in February 2023 required us to reduce spending on the service.

"We have taken the time since then to explore options and alternatives to keep all of our libraries open and to use both our expert and valued library staff, as well as technology, to maintain access to this important service."