Across England, 276 public libraries have closed without replacement since 2010.
Tough choices have had to be made due to the rapidly rising costs that are affecting every local authority.
As a result of this, there are now proposals in place for a reduction in opening hours, with three out of the nine libraries in Haringey closing two days a week more than their current service model as part of a £675k cost-saving exercise.
The council has done everything in its power to protect library services from closing permanently and, having listened to the concerns raised in the consultation, will deploy and manage resources to provide equitable access, maintaining the longest opening hours for those libraries serving parts of the borough where there is greatest need.
A concerted effort has also been made by the council to present a proposal that keeps our libraries open for longer than the two options initially outlined in the consultation.
Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Emily Arkell, said: “We’re committed to keeping our libraries open as much as possible here in Haringey but there will now be reduced hours.
“We recognise our libraries as important spaces socially for our communities and we love and value them just as much as our residents do. We know their importance to our young people and we want them to be sustainable for the future.
“We’re very grateful to the many library users and residents who gave us their feedback during the consultation process. Something that came across strongly in a lot of the responses was the need for our library provision to be equitable and fair across the borough and we believe we’ve delivered that.
“Given the pressures on the council budget, we’ve had to make difficult decisions. However, we are committed to working with our Friends groups, library users, residents, children and young people to ensure all our libraries continue to thrive for many more years to come.”
Two of the borough’s three main libraries – Hornsey in the west and Marcus Garvey in the east – would operate a seven-day service under the plans, which would also see the third main library in Wood Green open its doors six days a week.
Half of Haringey’s six branch libraries – Coombes Croft (six days), Muswell Hill (five days) and St Ann’s (five days) – are set to welcome residents for at least five days of the week, with Alexandra Park, Highgate and Stroud Green and Harringay opening for four.
The full weekly proposed schedule for all nine libraries in Haringey is as follows:
Alexandra Park: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: 9:30am-6pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Wednesday, Friday & Sunday: Closed. Hours per week: 32.5.
Coombes Croft: Monday – Friday: 9:30am-6pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Sunday: Closed. Hours per week: 49.5.
Highgate: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: 9:30am-6pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Wednesday, Friday & Sunday: Closed. Hours per week: 32.5.
Hornsey: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 10am-6pm. Tuesday: 10am-7pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Sunday: 12noon-4pm. Hours per week: 52.
Marcus Garvey: Monday, Tuesday & Friday: 9am-6pm. Wednesday: 10am-6pm. Thursday: 9am-7pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Sunday: 12noon-4pm. Hours per week: 56.
Muswell Hill: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 9:30am-6pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Thursday & Sunday: Closed. Hours per week: 41.
St Ann’s: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: 9:30am-6pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Tuesday & Sunday: Closed. Hours per week: 41.
Stroud Green & Harringay: Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 9:30am-6pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday: Closed. Hours per week: 32.5.
Wood Green: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 9am-6pm. Wednesday: 10am-7pm. Saturday: 10am-5pm. Sunday: Closed. Hours per week: 52.
These proposals are due to be presented at Cabinet for a decision on Tuesday 10 December 2024.
