Liverpool libraries under threat of closure

The future of Liverpool's libraries will be debated later. 11 could face closure due to high running costs or below average use. The Library Service needs to reduce its budget by £1.7m the city council tries to save £156m over the next three years due to cuts in Central Government funding.

A report due to be discussed identifies 11 community libraries that could be at risk of closure if alternative and viable ways of delivering the services from these buildings cannot be found. These libraries are:

• Breck Road Library
• Dovecot Library
• Fazakerley Library
• Kensington Library
• Lee Valley Library
• Old Swan Library
• Sefton Park Library
• Spellow Library
• Walton Library
• Wavertree Library
• West Derby Library

If the report is approved, another full consultation exercise will be undertaken which will include a series of public meetings, inviting people to have their say on the proposed service as a whole as well as those venues which have been identified as potentially at risk.