More than 1,000 residents have formally opposed a plan to close several libraries and reduce opening hours across Brighton & Hove, as the council seeks to make savings.
A report from Brighton & Hove City Council summarising a three-month public consultation found strong resistance to the proposed closure of Hollingbury, Rottingdean and Westdene libraries. Respondents also objected to cutting opening hours at the Jubilee Library in central Brighton and the Carnegie Library in Hove.
The feedback will be reviewed on 10 November at a council committee meeting, as the Labour-led administration looks to reduce spending across departments. The library service currently costs £4.3m a year, and the proposals are aimed at saving £210,000 over the next two years.
According to the report, reducing opening hours at Jubilee Library — by two hours on Mondays and three hours on Sundays — could save around £65,000. Shorter hours at Hove Library are estimated to reduce costs by a further £35,000. Closing Hollingbury Library would save £15,000, Rottingdean £25,000 and Westdene £20,000. Additional cuts to management and rota arrangements could yield another £50,000 in savings.
Many respondents stressed the role libraries play as community hubs, study spaces and safe environments for vulnerable people. Schools and families were particularly concerned about the impact on older pupils who use library spaces to study. Nearly three-quarters of the 2,711 respondents said they had visited the Jubilee Library within the past year.
The report also noted that parents would face difficulties travelling to alternative locations, saying that daily car journeys were impractical for many households due to both cost pressures and climate concerns.
