Committee set to consider library proposals
Councillors are set to consider proposals that could reshape Wirral’s library services.
Members of the Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee will meet on Thursday 18th September to look at the proposals and discuss the findings of the recent public consultation that took place on them.
Based around a core eight-site model of council operated library buildings, the remodelling is designed to ensure the council meets its statutory duties in providing a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service, while aligning with budget requirements.
As part of the statutory public Library offer operated by the Council, the proposed eight-site model would comprise of the following locations:
- Bebington Central Library
- Birkenhead Central Library
- Eastham
- Heswall
- Moreton
- West Kirby Central Library
- Wallasey Central Library
- Upton
The public consultation exercise ran from 6th May until 1st July 2025 and set out the new model and other proposals for a future Library service in Wirral including a full review of the current digital offer and access to online resources.
In preparing the proposals, the council undertook a detailed “needs assessment” to look at the library service locally – who uses it, when and how often; what services they access and how they access them, in person or digitally; and where the libraries are, are they in the right place and open at the right times.
A mixed-method consultation was adopted to gather feedback from members of the public. The main method was an online public consultation via the Council’s Have Your Say platform, however, information days were also held at selected libraries to raise awareness and encourage participation.
The comprehensive findings are being reported back to the committee and include insights from those who see themselves as regular library users and those who aren’t.
Among the questions people were asked were around what barriers there might be to their use of library services, what else would they like to see library buildings provide, how they use digital services currently and about other services provided by Wirral libraries, such as the Home Reader service.
Local authorities have a legal duty to ensure they provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service for all people living, working or studying full-time in the area who want to make use of it.
The Act that stipulates that council’s need to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service was the 1964 Libraries and Museums Act. More than 60 years on, libraries are about much more than books and technology and people’s access to information means libraries have had to evolve to meet changing needs and demands.
