Why are we doing this?
The council is currently facing severe financial challenges, which means we will need to be clear about our priorities and make some tough decisions about what we will and won’t do over the next few years. Some services will stop and others, such as our library service, will have to change. But, by focussing on a smaller number of priorities for our residents, we will make sure that we are delivering good quality services, where they will have the biggest impact.
We are committed to delivering a comprehensive and efficient library service, which operates within the reduced resources available. This means that we are having to look at either closing some of our library buildings, or find an alternative that would not require any council funding.
The council currently runs 13 libraries in the borough, and we are proposing reducing this to eight. By doing this it will allow us to continue providing a comprehensive library service that meets the needs of our community.
When considering library buildings to include in our proposals we have looked at building operating and maintenance costs, how visitors use the service, and how close they are to other libraries – more details on this is provided on the Croydon Council Libraries Consultation website.
What do we want to know?
At this stage of our consultation we want to hear your views on the proposals, ideas for our library service and suggestions for alternative ways we could use library buildings. We will use this information to help us further develop our options and consult you again on these, before taking a proposal to cabinet for a decision in summer 2021.
To request this information and questionnaire in a different format, email: librariesconsultation@croydon.gov.uk or call 020 7884 5159.
Please complete the survey by 7 March.
Public consultation timetable:
| Initial consultation on proposals begins | 14 January 2021 |
| Initial consultation ends (survey closes) | 7 March 2021 |
| Consultation outcome & options report | April 2021 |
| Consultation finishes | May 2021 |
| Final report | June 2021 |
| Final decision | Summer 2021 |
| Implementation | September 2021 (expected) |