Cheshire East is planning to consult on proposals which could see some libraries privatised and opening hours slashed.

The council has dismissed fears it plans to close the libraries at Alderley Edge, Bollington, Handforth and Disley, but will consult on reducing hours at these four sites to just one and a half days a week.

Another proposal could see some libraries privatised – although there is no explanation as to how this would work.

As part of the consultation, the council is seeking feedback on a tiering system for how library services would be promoted and invested into going forward.

The proposed tier system is:

• Tier one – Congleton, Crewe, Macclesfield, Nantwich and Wilmslow.

These sites would become 'library hubs' and continue to provide the core library services along with free support around health, employment, skills, education and personal finance, and host other services, such as banking hubs.

• Tier two – Alsager, Holmes Chapel, Knutsford, Middlewich, Poynton and Sandbach.

These sites would continue to offer the core library and customer services, with opening hours updated to match when the libraries are busiest. Some of the sites – dictated by need – could include some of the targeted services found at the tier one sites.

• Tier three – Alderley Edge, Bollington, Disley and Handforth.

These sites would be known as 'community libraries', act as customer service points and offer a small range of activities. They would be staffed by council employees for up to one and half days a week.

The council says is talking to community groups and parish councils to explore opportunities for them to operate library services for the remainder of the week.

• Tier four is the existing mobile library and the home library service.

Cheshire East needs to make savings of more than £600k in library services over the next two years.

Over the next four years the council, as a whole, needs to achieve budget savings of £100m.

In a press statement, Cllr Mick Warren (Ind), chair of the environment and communities committee, said: "We must look at a different way of running our libraries so that we can still offer these valued services in the places where demand and need is greatest.

"In doing this, it provides us with opportunities to invest in our core sites, explore how we can use them to generate income, and to use new technologies so library services are more accessible to our residents.

Cllr Mick Warren. (Photo: Cheshire East Council)

"It also gives us the opportunity to deliver a service that's in partnership with our local communities, and to look at how library and other council services – such as those offering support around health and employment – can be delivered in a more joined up way."

The statement released by the council makes no reference to privatisation.

But the report to next week's committee meeting states: "The consultation… will also seek views on the option of considering alternative service delivery for all sites via the private sector."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service is trying to get clarification on how this would work.

The report also states that, because the proposed cuts don't meet the required savings, there could be additional proposals including:

• a review of opening hours at the tier two sites;
• withdrawal of customer service access points from tier two sites;
• a further reduction to the budgets which support service delivery such as the book fund;
• partial or complete withdrawal of the mobile library service.

The environment and communities committee meeting takes place at Macclesfield Town Hall at 10am next Thursday (July 18th).

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