Struggling to sustain other services, council looks likely to vote through cuts ‘more severe than almost any other’ local authority
Swindon council has been warned by librarians that if it goes ahead with plans to close 11 of its 15 libraries by next summer, future generations “will not have the same opportunities and support … as the current generation have enjoyed”.
The council proposed last week that in order to cut its library budget by £1.5m, just Highworth, North Swindon, West Swindon and the Central library would stay open, with 11 other libraries to lose council support from next June. Swindon hopes that volunteers will take over the service in those areas, and will provide a one-off pot of £500,000 to groups looking to do this, according to the Swindon Advertiser.
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