Every Perth and Kinross library facing cuts, warns culture chief
by Kathryn Anderson · The CourierEvery library in Perthshire is facing cuts to its services next year.
Culture Perth and Kinross is raising the alarm as it battles to reduce its budget by 12% over the next three years.
The organisation’s chief has also warned job losses are inevitable.
Culture Perth and Kinross is currently consulting users on proposed changes to future provision in some libraries.
This has led to protests in affected communities such as Scone and Birnam.
But it has now emerged that libraries which are not at risk of closure look set to have their opening hours reduced from next April.
Other agreed cuts to be implemented by the end of the financial year include the closure of Alyth Museum.
Opening hours and services will be cut for Perth and Kinross Archive and Local and Family History.
And learning programmes will be removed from museums and galleries.
Additional future savings could see Perth Art Gallery move to seasonal opening from October 2025.
And the number of temporary exhibitions and community activities in both the art gallery and the newly opened Perth Museum will also be cut.
‘Not possible to avoid compulsory redundancies’
The grave financial position was set out in a report to Perth and Kinross Council’s scrutiny and performance committee.
Councillors were told: “Negotiations with staff are ongoing and trade unions have been informed.
“Where possible we will try to mitigate impacts on staff.
“However the scale of the savings required is such that it is not possible to avoid compulsory redundancies.”
Culture Perth and Kinross chief executive Helen Smout was quizzed on the outlook for libraries by the committee.
She said staffing accounted for 80% of the organisation’s costs, but the budget cuts will impact users too.
“We continue to have meetings with communities about proposed closures of libraries,” she said.
“And we’ll be starting conversations with the remaining libraries – not at risk of closure – around the reduction in opening hours that will come into effect on April 1.
“As you can expect, these are quite challenging conversations.
“The communities highly value the services they have.
“However, we have been able to identify community members to work with for the next stage looking at alternative provision.”
Perth and Kinross libraries already lowest funded in Scotland
There are currently 13 libraries in Perth and Kinross – including the Strathmore Community Hub library in Coupar Angus.
Culture Perth and Kinross also runs a mobile library service and digital service.
And volunteers deliver books to more than 200 housebound library members.
Mrs Smout said the housebound service would be protected.
But she insisted it was a “very challenging climate” for libraries across Scotland.
“There are several who have made much more significant savings than we are looking at here in Perth and Kinross,” she said.
Mrs Smout said some communities have express an interest in running libraries themselves, or fundraising and then commissioning Culture Perth and Kinross to deliver services.
And despite spending less on libraries than other local authorities, she revealed Perth and Kinross has the second highest usage rate in Scotland.
“Although we have low budgets, they work very very hard,” she said.
“Our staff have excelled at making even a penny stretch to feel like 10.”