Why Nottingham library closures may not be a done deal as final decision looms

Read into this what you will. Four of Nottingham's most historic library sites are set for closure, yet comments from the city's chief finance councillor suggest mourning them may be premature.

Councillor Linda Woodings, who holds the finance portfolio at Nottingham City Council, is reported to have said at a recent meeting of library protestors that the planned closures are "not a done deal." Many off-the-cuff things have been said by councillors keen to placate campaigners at meetings over the years.

Yet this reported comment so close to the final plans for Nottingham's libraries being confirmed may represent more than a platitude. Very recent history, coupled with changes to libraries underway in other parts of Nottinghamshire, suggest that a full closure of the four libraries may yet be avoided.

The four libraries earmarked for closure are the facilities at Bilborough, Aspley, Basford and Radford-Lenton. Campaigners are particularly aggrieved about the latter three, given that they were previously saved from closure after the city council's previous plans for the future of its 15-strong library network in 2023.

As Nottingham City Council faces an overall budget gap of more than £100 million in the coming years, plans are for savings worth £1.5 million to be generated from the "review of library services" alone. If current plans go ahead, 11 libraries will remain - including the new Central Library.

For the less bookish amongst you, it bears repeating that the libraries under discussion are not just places to borrow a novel from. Many of Nottingham's libraries also house services including food banks and are crucial in preventing isolation among many.

Those who have been campaigning against the planned closures have therefore been arguing for some fresh thinking on how the planned savings could be achieved. Despite the scale of the council's financial challenge, its 2023 U-turn suggests a rethink is not out of the question this time.

That occasion saw the three libraries then earmarked for closure being saved by the council, which instead reduced opening hours across its network. Yet scaling down services to prevent them closing is far from the only option on the table.

Nottinghamshire County Council is also planning major changes to its own network of libraries. Current plans will see 28 areas of Nottinghamshire being home to a 'library access point' rather than a full library.

These sites are generally located in a community building alongside other services and delivered by an existing community organisation and volunteers, rather than by full-time paid library staff. Although Nottingham campaigners would want libraries to stay in their existing buildings, could a higher degree of partnership working be possible?

Partnership working has become a key theme of Neghat Khan's city council leadership so far. Speaking soon after being selected as leader, Councillor Khan told me: "We've got financial difficulties, but there's a lot of people and organisations in the city that have money. We can't stop being ambitious. So what can we do potentially with other people's money?"

Even comments from the council officer behind Nottingham's library plans suggested that the four closures were not an inevitability. Colin Wilderspin, the city council's interim director of communities, said at the time of the consultation being launched in late May: "If you believe you have an alternative plan for delivering efficient, comprehensive library services within our budget constraint, then we want to hear from you, we want your ideas and opinions. I would reiterate that no decisions have been made, and your input from this consultation will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Nottingham's libraries."

That consultation closed in August and it is expected that the city council will lay out its final plans before the end of the year. Recent history, developments elsewhere and reading between the lines of comments from senior city council figures suggests that closures are indeed not inevitable. If the recent consultation was more than the usual tick-box affair, nor should they be a done deal.