‘No easy answer’ for library funding, warns Bryant

Arts Minister Chris Bryant has warned he “does not have an easy answer” for the financial challenges facing English libraries.

In the latest annual report for libraries published this week by the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS), Bryant emphasised that councils' spending on public libraries in England has almost halved in real terms between 2009/10 and 2022/23.

“We cannot shy away from the challenges that libraries have faced," he said in the report.

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“I do not have an easy answer for this. Money is in short supply, and councils face many competing urgent needs.

“But I will work across local and central government to support libraries and promote their vital role in delivering strategic objectives: to break down barriers to opportunity and to unlock economic growth.” 

Bryant said the government plans to provide councils more stability through multi-year funding settlements, ending competitive bidding for grants, and collaborating with councils to “get local government back on its feet by doing the basics right".

DCMS analysis of local authority revenue expenditure and financing shows that, in total, net expenditure by local authorities on public libraries fell by 47% in real terms between 2009/10 and 2022/23, from £1.2bn to £673m in 2022/23 prices.

A Local Government Association survey of Council Chief Executives undertaken from January to February 2024 found that even with modest budget increases for the 24/25 fiscal year, nearly half (48%) of respondents reported that they believed further cost savings would be needed within their library services.

Library closures

Earlier this month an investigation by the BBC found that more than 180 council-run libraries in the UK have either closed or been handed to volunteer groups since 2016, resulting in the loss of around 2,000 jobs.

Deprived communities were found to be four times more likely to have lost a publicly-funded library during the period.

Despite the financial difficulties, DCMS's latest report found that between April 2023 and March 2024, the use of public libraries had increased. 

Although direct comparisons cannot be made because of changes in reporting methodology, the report notes that previous DCMS analysis showed a declining trend in library use before the Covid pandemic.