01-04-2025
Warrington library could close as part of bid to save £30m
A Cheshire library could close as council bosses look to make more than £30m of savings, while others could become completely Council is seeking to close Westbrook Library and also introduce a tiered system, which would see some libraries employing paid staff for fewer hours while others would have no on-site staff at the council said it had revised some of its proposed parking charges in parts of the town following council said it was having to make "the most difficult decisions" about the services it provides.
Warrington currently has 13 authority said it was looking to close Westbrook because it was the only one not within a council building so it had to pay also had a "lower performance" compared with other libraries, the council said.
In terms of the planned tier system, Warrington Central Library would be a tier one library, meaning no changes would be in Burtonwood, Padgate and Penketh would be tier two community libraries, with council staff there at all three would be community supported libraries where staffing would be "streamlined" to reduced hours, and these would be in Culcheth, Lymm and Stockton in Bewsey and Dallam, Birchwood, Great Sankey, Orford, and Woolston would become self-service, without "dedicated" library staff, the authority Higgins, cabinet member for communities, culture and leisure, said: "Our current position means we have no choice but to look across all service areas, including libraries."While we are very proud to have retained so many libraries, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a high-quality library service across so many sites."
Elsewhere, Warrington Council said it had changed its plans around parking in Lymm and Stockton Heath after a council said it will now keep longer free parking periods in both Lymm this would include keeping the first hour free parking at all times, although it said there was to be a "modest uplift" to the original proposed Stockton Heath, where the plans were to have the first 15 minutes free between 9:00-17:00 and the first hour free between 17:00-22:00, the council said it will provide 30 minutes free between 15:00 and 22:00.A consultation on the library proposals runs until 9 May.
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