Nearly 130 public libraries closed across Britain in the last year

Services continue to be targets for local authority budget cuts, with remaining services increasingly reliant on voluntary staff

Almost 130 public libraries have closed in the last year in Britain while an extra 3,000 volunteers have been brought in to run remaining services, as the decade’s austerity pressures see local authorities continuing to apply swingeing cuts to budgets.

The annual survey of British libraries by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) has revealed a similar picture each year since 2010, with the number of branches and paid staff falling every year.

Related: Do libraries run by volunteers check out?

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