Libraries in North Somerset could be closed down as the council considers major budget cuts but no specific decisions have been made about which ones could face the axe.

North Somerset Council is attempting to plug a £52m black hole in its budget across the next three years. Cuts to libraries could save it £433,000 across 2026/27 and 2027/28, although no cuts are proposed in the next financial year.

The council runs 12 libraries at 11 different sites across the district, from Weston-super-Mare and Worle to other towns of Clevedon, Nailsea, and Portishead, and in villages Congresbury, Pill, Winscombe, and Yatton — as well as a mobile library.

Nailsea library moved out of its iconic octagonal building to a new home on Collier’s Walk last year, with the council signing a 125 year lease “to secure the longterm future of a library in Nailsea.”

Now the council has said it is having to consider reducing the number of library sites it runs, as part of £45m package of savings set to go before the council’s executive on Wednesday, December 4, but the council’s final budget plans will go for a vote before the full council in February before any changes come into effect.

A public consultation on the budget plans is now live — and specific proposals to close libraries are expected to go through another consultation before coming into effect.

A North Somerset Council spokesperson said: “The council is facing an unprecedented financial emergency with £52m to save over the next three years. Demands for our services are going up, and the costs of providing these services are also rising. We are having to look at all areas of spend in the council to meet our financial emergency, and we still have £7.4m of savings to find for 2025-28, with £2.5m still to find by February for the 2025-26 financial year.

“As part of this work, we’re reviewing our library service. No decisions have been made, and we’ll make sure that we continue to meet our statutory obligations and provide a service that we know our community cares for deeply. We’re currently looking at a range of options, including different delivery models, investing in outreach and reducing the number of library sites, to sustain library service provision in North Somerset.

“In developing our proposals, we’re having to consider reducing the number of library sites as we’ve worked incredibly hard over past years to achieve efficiencies in the service, through previous savings and transformation projects.

“We have no specific proposals to share at the moment, and any proposals we make will meet our statutory obligations. We’ll develop proposals based on understanding of local need, including an assessment of the equalities impacts of the proposals. Once proposals have been developed, we will consult with local communities and other stakeholders. We’ll carefully consider feedback received through the consultation before any definitive decisions are made.”

You can have your say on the council’s budget savings plans in a public consultation which runs until January 13 2025 here: https://n-somerset.inconsult.uk/NSCbudget/consultationHome

The council will also host two drop-in sessions on the budget on Tuesday December 10 3–6pm in the council’s Castlewood office in Clevedon, where people are asked to arrive at reception for a staff member to meet them; and on Wednesday December 11 3–5pm at Weston-super-Mare Town Hall, where people are asked to arrive at the Old Town Hall entrance and make their way into the council chamber.

Council leader Mike Bell said: “We are having to make tough decisions to protect vital services as best we can and continue to deliver low cost, good quality services for our residents. We are not shying away from the challenge.

“I know that residents sometimes feel they don’t get a lot for their money from the council. But as well as the visible services like bin collections and road maintenance, there are hundreds of other services we are providing every day. From tackling homelessness to delivering social care, from supporting schools to running leisure centres.

“Your council taxes help to pay for it all and the work we need to do together to make North Somerset a better place to live. We want everyone to have their say on how we do this.”

The council has warned that it is effectively £50m a year worse off than neighbouring local authorities, due to issues such as its historically lower council tax base which means the fixed percentage it can raise council tax by each year results in less money than areas that already charge more.

The council has launched a petition to government calling for a “fair deal” for the council. You can view and sign the petition here: https://northsomerset-gov.welcomesyourfeedback.net/s/rux4v