Council accused of ‘salami slicing’ library budgets

Libraries ‘are one of the last areas of public civic life’ – Hackney Unison protestors outside Hackney Central Library. Photograph: Hackney Unison

A union has hit out at Hackney council’s plans to slash its library budget, in a move they say threatens a “lifeline service”.

In February, Hackney council’s cabinet decided to cut the operational budget for its public library service by 15 per cent – around £750,000 a year – from 2026 onwards.

The decision, which is now under consultation, comes as part of the town hall’s efforts to save nearly £25 million to balance its budget for 2025-26.

The Town Hall currently faces a £51 million budget gap and is using £10 million in reserves with a further £9 million draw-down projected.

Cllr Chris Kennedy, cabinet member for health, adult social care, voluntary sector and culture said: “In a small borough, we are proud to still have eight council-managed libraries and a mobile community library service, giving every Hackney resident an excellent library close to where they live at a time when services like these have been cut up and down the country.

“But with the council being forced to find large savings year-on-year and every service we offer under financial pressure, we are honest about the steps we need to take to keep these eight libraries operating.”

Hackney Unison said they are “appalled” by the cuts and urged the council to rethink.

Proposed changes include reduced opening hours with some sites closed for three days a week, as well as cuts to stock, security and the community library service.

A Hackney Unison spokesperson said: “[The community library service] provides a lifeline to the elderly, people with a disability, hospital patients and those unable to visit the library in person.

“The availability and quality of library provision will suffer, which in turn will have an adverse effect on Hackney residents, who use and rely on the service in large numbers.”

Hackney Council has used current visitor numbers across different libraries at different times to inform its options for reduced opening hours.

These are included in the consultation which the Town Hall is seeking feedback from the public.

‘Confident we can find the right approach’ – Cllr Chris Kennedy, cabinet member for health, adult social care, voluntary sector and culture

Cllr Kennedy said: “Your feedback on these proposals is crucial and will help us make final decisions that are fair, balanced, and reflect the needs of our community.

“By hearing from those who use them, we are confident we can find the right approach that minimises the impact of reduced hours and means our libraries continue to provide their vital services to our communities.”

The proposed measures follow on from a restructuring process in 2023 in a bid to save the council £250,000, keep libraries open and modernise the service.

As part of the changes, the council cut 19 jobs with a further 48 voluntary or compulsory redundancies having been made since.

Hackney Unison said: “This was all in the name of making a sustainable, ‘future-proof’ service. Yet here we are just two years later, facing more belt-tightening.

“We believe Hackney libraries provide a vital front-line service in our communities that should be cherished and protected, not consistently chipped away at.

“With over a century of heritage and immeasurably deep roots across the borough, they offer far more than simply book-lending.

“They are one of the last areas of public civic life, accessible to all, located at the heart of the community.”

Whilst Hackney Council has been investing in its libraries, with major refurbishments of Hackney Central Library and Stoke Newington Library building underway, Hackney Unison has warned that the new proposals could “open the door” to even more cuts.

Brian Debus, joint chair of Hackney Unison said: “It is about time this Labour council called on central government to provide more funding to stop the continual salami-slicing of services.”