Region's libraries fare better than most

No libraries in the North East have closed in the last 12 months, according to new figures from the Press Association. The region is the only one in the country where there have been no closures.

At the bottom of the table was Wales, where 11% of libraries closed, representing a fall from 308 to 274 functioning libraries.

However expenditure on the North East's libraries was down by a fairly steep 7.2% - from £47 million to £43 million. The only region where expenditure fell more dramatically was in Yorkshire and the Humber, which had a 7.6% drop.

But visitor numbers remained strong, only experiencing a 2.% fall, compared with 10.9% in Yorkshire and the Humber.