Protesters gathered outside Nottingham City Council’s headquarters to speak out against plans to close three libraries.
The city council is proposing to close Basford Library in Vernon Road, the Radford Lenton Library in Lenton Boulevard and Aspley Library in Nuthall Road.
Aspley Library will close to the public and become what is described as a “distribution point” providing services such as the home library.
The authority believes the move will save around £233,000.
The Save Nottingham Libraries campaign group launched a petition on Tuesday, February 22, calling on people to let their feelings known.
The group said as Nottingham is a UNESCO City of Literature losing libraries would be “a tragedy” for the city.
The council says the three libraries under review have low usage, with 22,680 annual visits to Basford Library, 7,920 visits at the Radford/Lenton library and 38,820 in Aspley.
The plans have been drawn up at a time when the city’s main Central Library remains closed, because its multi-million-pound replacement, part of the new Broadmarsh car park and bus station complex, is unfinished.
• Nottingham Central Library opening date still not fixed as fit-out could cost around £10m
• Leader said he does not want to close three libraries and blames financial situation
• City council could close three libraries to save £233,000
When complete it will replace the old Angel Row library, which closed in 2020. This has been described as the most used library in the city – but its books remain in storage awaiting the opening of the new site.
An exact opening date has not been confirmed but £10m is needed to complete its fit out.
Now, a public consultation will run until May to find out what people think about the specific proposals for the three affected libraries.
Stewart Halforty, 41, from Sneinton, is one of the organisers of the campaign group fighting against the library closures.
He said: “I use Central Library, which is now closed, and we now rely on local libraries. These libraries that will close are in the poorest areas of Nottingham.
“We know they are used substantially for books but also access to the internet for jobs and courses.
“The city council has to make savings but if you lose libraries they are not coming back. They are the legacy of the Victorian era. They have been at the centre of communities for centuries.”
John Petchell, 79, who lives near Aspley, added: “People need these facilities. They provide a focal point for the community. I know they have got to save money but to cut something so crucial and essential is crazy. These areas need them.”
The group will also be protesting outside the Council House when Full Council meet in March.
Cllr David Mellen (Lab), leader of the city council, said in January: “Like any other authority we had to look at libraries around how we balance our budget.
“We reviewed our library service, which acknowledged as well as being affected by Covid, just like other libraries around the country, there has been a decrease in visits to the library, in the books being taken out in person.
“But there has been an increase in the online activity therefore our library estate needs to respond to that.
“Clearly this is not something we would want to do but our finances dictate that we look at everything.
“Clearly people will not be happy with these proposals, those who use the library are very fond of it and it is a structure of our city.
“It provides not just a place to borrow books or use computers but a place where people can meet and a sense of community. But we are in this situation and need to cut our cloth according to our resources.”
