New chapter set for St Helens Library Service following approval of ambitious strategy

Article date: 25 October 2023

At a cabinet meeting at St Helens Town Hall this afternoon, senior councillors approved the St Helens Borough Library Strategy 2023-2028 which sets out plans to increase library membership, reach new individuals and communities, as well as tackle inequalities - while delivering more efficiently to address severe budget pressures on the local authority which has had funding from Central Government slashed from £127m in 2010 to just £11m this year.   

Put together using feedback from a recent consultation which received nearly 6,000 responses, the strategy has been tailored to be as accessible as possible to meet the needs of residents, with a review of opening hours to focus on days and times most popular with communities; good public transport links to libraries; support for those that are digitally excluded - and a commitment to return St Helens Library to The Gamble Building, once internal refurbishment works are completed.   

Recognising that everyday library based activities can be achieved without a building-focused service, the current library system will change to a network of seven, focusing instead on providing resources in areas of greatest need, with outreach work such as pop-up libraries; schools library service; home delivery; the reintroduction of click and collect and a big push on digital platforms among the key aspects to improve the service in the future.   

St Helens Library - based in the World of Glass Museum - will remain open, along with Newton-le-Willows, Chester Lane, Haydock, Eccleston, Moss Bank and Thatto Heath - leaving the borough with seven operational libraries, which is still more than some neighbouring borough areas.   

Garswood, Rainhill, Rainford and Parr will no longer be council maintained and will close at the end of January 2024, although positive talks continue with some groups interested in a community-managed approach.    

Peter Street and Billinge libraries have already been closed for some time due to expiry of building lease and structural issues, respectively.   

The council will continue to invest in the assets it still has, with Haydock Library set to undergo a £275,000 refurbishment from external funding to become the borough's first SEND specialist library next year 

Due to current staffing levels in the library service, no redundancies are expected to come as a result of this decision.   

It is anticipated that the new-look St Helens Library Service will achieve savings of £338,000 a year - a significant amount as the council tightens its belt in response to year-on-year government funding reductions, while dealing with an increase in demand in adult's and children's social care.   

Councillor Anthony Burns, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, Culture and Heritage, said: "We are proud of our Library Service and what it offers residents, but we've got to move with the times to ensure it is fit for the future.  

"With some current library buildings in need of repair or not council-owned, we've taken the quality over quantity approach to deliver an innovative, modern, sustainable and accessible Library Service, providing support where it is needed with opportunity and access for all.   

"The council has inevitably had to devote a larger proportion of its budget to statutory social care provision. The unfortunate, yet unavoidable, result is that less and less funding therefore remains for the hundreds of other services that the council provides. 

"While it may not be easy, together we can make the most of this opportunity, meeting the changing demands of residents while of course making sure we provide support to the communities most in need.   

"The overall objective of this strategy isn't about closing libraries - which we wouldn't do if our government funding allocation wasn't cut to the bone - it's about bringing forward a vision for the future of our library service, one that's exciting, comprehensive, efficient - and has communities at the very heart."  

To read the strategy, visit: https://sthelens.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s150442/Appendix%20C.pdf