Macclesfield Library hours changes set to be introduced later this year
By Alex Greensmith
22nd Jul 2023 | Local News
It looks like opening hours will be reduced at Macclesfield Library in the coming months.
Both Crewe and Macclesfield - two of the biggest libraries in the borough - will also see the largest cuts of ten hours per week.
Last month, the council launched a public consultation on proposals to reduce the current opening hours of libraries across the borough so that all sites are closed for at least 1.5 days during the week.
Cheshire East Council has thanked local communities for sharing their views on proposals for library services across the borough and announced that it has revised its plans following the feedback received.
A statement by Cheshire East Council read: "A report on the library proposals, where councillors will be asked to decide on the implementation details, will be discussed at the council's environment and communities committee on 27 July.
"It is expected that any changes to opening hours would be implemented from November 1 2023.
"The proposed new opening hours for each of the libraries operated across Cheshire East take into account key usage data for each site including daily visitor numbers, the number of books issued and computer usage, alongside other local considerations."
A document set to be heard by said committee on Thursday, details the specific hours and possible new opening times.
As seen in the image above, Bollington Library will lose three hours of service.
Macclesfield Library, of Jordangate, will have ten less opening hours than previous.
Also seen in the picture above, Prestbury Library will have zero cuts to service.
Please note: these touted hours are subject to Thursday's vote and any future meetings.
Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee, said: "Unlike some local authorities that have undertaken similar reviews of library services, we have never proposed any full closures of our library sites, but we do also have no choice but to change the way in which we operate our services.
"We have worked to ensure the ongoing affordability of providing a broad range of library services across the borough, while also making the necessary savings the council must deliver to protect essential services.
"As a result of the feedback we received during the consultation on the council's draft medium-term financial strategy in January, our original proposals were significantly scaled back to limit the impacts on library service users.
"And, during our latest consultation, we received a significant number of comments and some extremely valuable feedback that has led us to revise our proposals once more to further reduce this impact.
"These revised proposals sit alongside our work to explore opportunities to make the libraries service financially more self-sufficient, such as by bringing in third parties for wider community use benefits, for instance banking hubs."
On that note, Barclays have recently started using Macclesfield Library's upstairs for a banking hub, just weeks after they shut their bank one minute down the road on Market Place.
Macclesfield Library on Jordangate was officially opened on April 28 1994 by the Duchess of Gloucester.
See Also: Family-ran Macclesfield CBD shop relocates across town centre
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