Torridge councillors vote to oppose proposals to cut local library hours

Torridge councillors are objecting to proposals to reduce library opening times in the district.

Under the current proposals out for public consultation by Devon County Council, Northam Library would see its hours cut from 21 to six and open just two mornings a week and Appledore Library would be cut from 10 to six hours.

Libraries Unlimited, the charity that operates the 50 public libraries in Devon for Devon County Council, has been using its reserves to meet a £1million funding gap each year and needs to make savings.

READ NEXT: Community launches fight against ‘horrific’ cuts planned for a Torridge library

Communities have until February 22 to put forward views and come up with solutions that could be more sustainable.

Above: Northam Library could be the worst hit in Torridge if the proposals go ahead, with plans to cut its hours from 21 to six. Credit: Rob Smith

At a meeting of Torridge District Council this week, Appledore Councillor Peter Hames said 2026 was the national year of reading, but in Devon it could be the national year of reduced reading.

He said libraries were vital to give children early reading experiences and books were essential to help with literacy, empathy, understanding, cognitive and emotional growth and ‘crucially, employability in later life’.

Cllr Hames said: “It’s important we increase opportunity for children to use their local library in order to experience the joy and value of reading.”

He added that libraries were a lifeline for older people too as they offered clubs and engagement with other people as well as warm spaces and went on: “We should not forget that Torridge has one of the worst levels of deprivation in the UK and libraries are essential for those who cannot afford books or their social or family circumstances mean they find it difficult to access books.”

Cllr Hames’ motion for the council to strongly object to the current proposals to reduce library opening times in the Torridge area was supported by 17 votes to four with six abstentions.

In Northam a library action group has been formed to fight the proposals, saying such cuts would be ‘a massive blow to the community, its social activities and the many groups that use the library, going way beyond the amount of books borrowed’.

READ NEXT: Appledore residents urged to attend public meeting on their library’s future

Torridge district councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, who is also the Devon County Council cabinet member responsible for libraries, said there no plans to close any libraries and the hours in the consultation related only to statutory staffed hours.

She added: “I understand the importance of libraries. I fought passionately and put my heart and soul into trying to save mobile libraries a couple of years ago.

“The hours in the consultation do not represent the full potential opening hours of a library. There are many ways libraries can be open more flexibly: through shared staffing, volunteers, community‑led models, local partnerships, and technology such as ’open access’, which allows extended access to the building, whether that’s for individuals or community groups wanting to use the space outside of traditional opening hours.”

The significant financial pressures facing Devon County Council and Libraries Unlimited had already resulted in many libraries operating with very limited staffed hours and there had been recruitment freezes, she said.

Cllr Cottle-Hunkin added: “We are now facing an unsustainable funding gap in excess of £1million each year. To carry on as we are with no flexibility would result in unimaginably drastic measures.

“That is why we are stepping in now, to look at other opportunities and we want to find out what is possible on a case-by-case basis. This is the starting point to open up those conversations.”

She said a really positive example of what was possible was Chulmleigh College, where the community library was located within the school.

The students there had direct access to every book in the Devon network, ‘supporting their incredible focus on reading and the community benefits from increased opening hours because staffing and resources are shared’.

Cllr Cottle-Hunkin concluded: “It is genuinely intergenerational and inspires the children- it’s exactly the type of creative, collaborative thinking we want to explore more widely.

“The consultation is a starting point to understand opportunities that might work locally. We know one size does not fit all. It is about securing a long‑term, sustainable future for all 50 libraries.”

A public meeting where the campaign to fight proposals for Appledore Library will be discussed is taking place tomorrow evening (Thursday, January 29) at Appledore Community Hall at 7pm.

The consultation runs until February 22 and can be completed at https://devonlibraries.commonplace.is