Rottingdean is “volunteered out” says a councillor, as a community solution to keeping its library open is set to be explored.
The library in The Grange was one of three Brighton and Hove City Council proposed closing as part of cost-cutting measures to save £250,000 from the library’s £3.7 million budget over three years.
However the latest libraries plan, due to go before cabinet on Thursday 11 December, would keep the library open with a further report in a year looking at community-based options.
Brighton and Hove Independent councillor for Rottingdean and West Saltdean, Bridget Fishleigh, is concerned about the potential demand on the already busy community.
Councillor Fishleigh said: “Rottingdean Parish Council, Save Rottingdean Library, myself and (councillor) Mark Earthey have always made it clear that Rottingdean is ‘volunteered out’.
“Also, running a community library is not as easy as people who haven’t run one before think.
“So the discussions/negotiations will continue.”
Councillor Fishleigh praised Save Rottingdean Library campaigners for their efforts ranging from presenting their case to councillors to generating an almost 4,000-signature petition.
One of the group’s founders Sarah Craven-Antill said: “We welcome Brighton and Hove City Council’s decision to keep Rottingdean Library open following the unanimous outcry from residents.
“However, the consultation report raises important questions about the library’s long-term future.
“We will be seeking clarity from councillors and attending next week’s cabinet meeting, alongside Rottingdean Parish Council, to represent the village and ensure our community’s voice continues to be heard.”
Rottingdean has one of the most-visited branch libraries in the city, with 30,000 visits a year and 12,000 loans.
The report to the cabinet said: “The savings which could be achieved through closure of the library are relatively moderate and, on balance, the retention of the service while alternative options for community involvement are explored can be maintained whilst still achieving the majority of the overall saving for the library service.
“The removal of the proposed closure for 2026-27 will reduce the savings achievable against the library service revenue budget by £40,000 and will provide additional financial pressure in subsequent years as the running costs of the location continue to rise without an associated increase in revenue budget.
“Alternative savings will need to be made from elsewhere in the council revenue budget to offset the savings not made in library services
through retention of this location.”
Before making the recommendations to cabinet, the council ran a 12-week consultation on the proposals to close Hollingbury, Rottingdean and Westdene libraries, and reduce opening hours at the Brighton’s Jubilee Library in Hove’s Carnegie Library.
There were 2,711 responses made on the council’s website, with the option to submit multiple entries, 164 emails sent to the consultation email, one formal member enquiry and 374 people went to nine public meetings.
In the survey, 564 people – 21 per cent of responders – use Rottingdean Library.
Of the 2,480 people who responded to the question asking if they agreed or disagreed with closing Rottingdean Library, three quarters either strongly disagreed or tended to disagree.
A fifth of the responders also wrote in the free text box to “strongly oppose” the closure.
The report said: “Many highlighted the library’s importance for education, literacy, social connection, and as a safe, free public space.
“There is widespread concern that closure would disproportionately impact those unable to travel to alternatives, such as the elderly, disabled, and families with young children.
“A few respondents mention using Saltdean Library as a viable alternative, but many state it is not easily accessible for Rottingdean residents.”
Suggested alternatives put forward was to seek help from community groups, increase Libraries Extra hours, where users register to gain access to unstaffed libraries, reduce staffed hours at all community libraries and offer a mobile library service.
The cabinet is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 2pm on Thursday 11 December. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
Whilst I agree with the councillors that volunteering is not a long-term strategy here, I remain very confident that a community solution is not only achievable, but far better, because third sector has so many more structures than just volunteering-only.
To close a library is to deprive people of something really precious as “The public library is where place and possibility meet”. Well done for fighting the closure.
As is usually the case with Councils and Councillors we get lots of statistics that suit their stance. However, of more relevance might be to ask the questions that matter and then obtain the statistics that answer. The council report bemoans the cost but does not ask the value of that cost. Councillor Fishleigh claims volunteers are volunteered out (whatever that means, perhaps burnt out) but provides no evidence for such a claim. Libraries exist for a reason and societies support them because of it. The only evidence that is ever produced to support their closure is attendance numbers, but are those numbers manipulated by external factors, such as opening times, material or asset stocks, or failure to adapt to changing society values.Before closing libraries it might be better to ask what their current role in society is and could it be managed better.
Absolutely, a simple way I personally think of it is that a Library is a Community Centre with extra books.
The one thing I find puzzling, is that despite the continuation of what is essentially austerity, that this country is STILL the 6th richest nation on earth!
That’s not changed, even through the banking crisis, Covid 19 and the conflicts in the middle East and Eastern Europe!
So why does it still feel like we’re a third world nation where everything we need is unaffordable?
Or is it just the things the majority of the people need, things we are not allowed to have any more?
Since when have the rich had to endure forgoing their little pleasures because as far as I can see, the rich seem to be ticking along nicely through every crisis that bessets the United Kingdom?
Unlike the rest if us!
Inequality.
The wealth gap is one of the largest it has ever been, and fourteen years of damage takes time to reverse.
I absolutely agree with you, unfortunately, the ‘lens’ is always pointed in the opposite direction. There are numerous excuses given as to why this service is cut or reduced to distract people from seeing the wealth syphoned off by our inefficient economic system.
Typical Brighton council close everything they can get away with to save money yet they yes they wasted millions of of local tax payers money on that useless i360 even though they were warned it’s not a good investment. Our council tax goes up year after year yet the service they provide gets worse year on year
Now I hear they want to cut bin collections to every 2 weeks.
What Brighton council need to do to save money is out some of the dead wood at the top of the tree and get someone that knows what they are doing
3.7 million over 3 years? It would be good to see a breakdown of cost and where that goes, as I cant see a library (even with bills and maintenance) would cost that much. I think public have the right to see a breakdown on what our taxes are being spent on? This seems to be an extortionate amount and very unrealistic.
It’s actually quite lean pragmatically.
If they can afford to get rid of the Aquarium roundabout and the very useful Old Steine bus interchange which meant you could walk into either Kemptown or Brighton, no hassle, the council can afford to keep the Libraries open. They are doing everything we don’t want and nothing we do. It is also their public duty to provide Libraries.
Completely different sources of funds that don’t interact or influence each other in any way.