Libraries Connected submits evidence to Parliamentary inquiry into council funding
Libraries Connected has submitted evidence to the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee’s inquiry looking at whether the local government finance system in England is fit for purpose.
The evidence outlines the precarious state of local government finances, and the impact this is having on library services – including closures and cuts to opening hours, staff and book budgets. It argues that the current regime for identifying and responding to financial distress “incentivises short-term savings over long-term investment in communities”.
Drawing on feedback from our members, the submission calls for “a funding approach that recognises the interrelatedness of local services and particularly the preventative (and therefore cost-saving) impact of libraries, alongside other cultural and leisure services.”