Hampshire Library Changes

28 December 2011, 06:00 | Updated: 23 January 2012, 11:26

Councillors have approved changes to library and Discovery Centre opening times.

17 posts will go, along with a 5.8% reduction in hours, saving £446,00 from the library budget.

5,500 people responded to a consultation on the opening hours, which resulted in some changes.

They wanted to reduce the total number of hours by 145.5 hours a week, a reduction of 7.5%, but after the consultation this has been changed to 112 hours, which is 5.8%.

The consultation on the closure of Hampshire's two smallest and least busy libraries, North Baddesley and Stanmore, is still ongoing and a decision will be made on their future on 5 July 2012.

Extra time has been allowed to make sure all possibilities are explored before a final decision is made.

Since April 2009 the service has streamlined their way of working, reduced staff at Library Headquarters and the number of managers across the Service and reviewed the Mobile Library Service.

In total £2.48m has been saved.

11 key libraries will be kept open in each district, including the Discovery Centres in Basingstoke and Andover, which would become hubs for that area.

They will have the widest range of services for the longest hours.

See the full changes on the Hampshire County Council website.