Birmingham City Council has acknowledged several of its libraries are in a “poor state of disrepair”
Locals use the facilities of Handsworth Library on September 3, 2024 in Birmingham(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Birmingham City Council has confirmed a temporary change to library opening hours amid upcoming disruption from planned works.
The fate of the city’s libraries has been a recurring concern throughout the aftermath of the financial crisis which engulfed the council.
The Labour authority previously said its divisive plans for the service would see opening hours for ‘council-led statutory library provision’ fall from 1,049 to 763 hours a week.
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The council now wants to carry out refurbishment works at up to 10 libraries after acknowledging several buildings were in a “poor state of disrepair”.
They will include the installation of new more energy-efficient boilers, LED lighting upgrades and the replacement of fire doors.
The council said the works are set to begin in spring 2026 and some libraries will be closed for a period to allow the refurbishment to be completed.
Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday morning, cabinet member Saima Suleman confirmed a change to Saturday opening hours will be introduced in a bid to minimise disruption.
Previous controversial changes meant eight community libraries in Birmingham began opening on alternating Saturdays, with four open on each.
Birmingham City Council’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, September 9(Image: Alexander Brock)
But during the scheduled works, Saturday opening hours will be extended, ensuring that all libraries currently open on Saturdays, whether weekly or fortnightly, will now open every Saturday.
“This is an exciting milestone in our new service model to transform Birmingham’s library and advice services,” Coun Suleman said.
“The refurbishment work will ensure our community library hubs continue to be safe, inclusive spaces for knowledge, connection, and support for all our residents, while also helping us modernise facilities.”
Roger Harmer, leader of the Liberal Democrats at the council, welcomed the temporary change to the Saturday opening hours during Tuesday’s meeting.
“But the Saturday opening is actually critical to library service so can the cabinet member now commit to actually ensuring that full-time Saturday opening continues after this work has been done,” he said.
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Coun Suleman responded by saying the council’s plans were about “increasing access to the most vulnerable citizens through our library service”.
“That is absolutely something that we’re looking at in terms of how we can increase the opportunities within the libraries,” she said.
‘Health and safety defects’
The eight full-time and two part-time library buildings set for refurbishment works are Handsworth, Northfield, Mere Green, Quinton, Small Heath, Acocks Green, Erdington, Kings Heath, Hall Green and Perry Common.
“The proposal is to roll out a programme of works to refurbish and upgrade up to ten libraries to bring them up to a reasonable condition and extend the buildings’ life,” a council report published prior to the meeting said.
“This forms phase one of the investment works.
“The work will address the library buildings’ health and safety defects and ensure the council’s statutory responsibilities are met, including the implementation of essential fire prevention works.”
It also acknowledged the council’s library property portfolio is in a “poor state of disrepair with little capital investment spent on it over the past ten to 15 years”.
A man reads a book in Kings Heath Library, Birmingham(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Another 17 condition surveys are to be carried out on the remaining libraries, excluding the Library of Birmingham, which would form the basis of future funding for a second programme of work.
The council’s wider plans will see community libraries and information services integrated to create a new Connected Communities service.
This will involve ten community hubs being established across the city, which it said would “support residents with localised activities and support on their doorstep”.
But the council has faced anger recently over reduced hours as well as the closure of Sutton Coldfield’s town centre library.
“Despite the need to make savings, we aim for the service to provide a comprehensive coverage across the city,” a council spokesperson said previously.
“The libraries continue to play a valuable role in our communities as universal safe spaces promoting access to information, community wellbeing, digital inclusion, education and culture.”