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Last summer, thousands of you took part in our 12‑week consultation, telling us what matters about your libraries, how you use them and how services could evolve for the future.
In total, 4,945 people shared their views, along with feedback gathered at 14 drop‑in events across the district. Thank you to everyone who took the time to get involved - your voices have played a major role in shaping the next steps.
We have now released a detailed Cabinet report, which sets out a recommended approach for the library service. These recommendations balance what you told us during the consultation with the council’s legal responsibilities and the significant financial pressures facing local services.
Like many councils across the country, North Somerset is dealing with reduced government funding and rising costs, especially in areas like adult and children’s social care. This means savings have to be found across a range of services - including libraries.
What are the key recommendations?
After evaluating all options, the report recommends Option B - the option that received the highest level of public support. This approach includes:
- Continuing to work with the community in Winscombe to explore a sustainable, community‑led model.
- Closing Worle Library and Children’s Centre due to the high cost of maintaining the building, while developing outreach services in the area.
- Keeping Pill Library open within the council‑run network.
- Adjusting staffed opening hours across all council‑run libraries.
These ideas were all shared as part of last year’s consultation and the published report explains how the recommendations were shaped by community feedback, local needs, equality impacts and financial requirements.
The publication of the report does not mean changes are confirmed.
The recommendations were discussed by our Cabinet last week (Wednesday 11 February), and then a final decision will be made by our Full Council next Tuesday (24 February). This ensures elected members have all the evidence, analysis and consultation feedback before any formal decisions are taken.
You can find the full Cabinet report, including all recommendations and background information, on our website.
We’ll continue to keep you updated as the process moves forward.
Thank you again to everyone who shared their views - your input is helping to shape a library service that remains fair, accessible and future‑focused for years to come.