Concerns have been raised over cuts to staffed library hours in Stockport.

Opposition councillors have told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they are worried about the impact it could have on residents and children.

Signs appeared on libraries in the borough in June advertising the new timetable – part of the ongoing roll out of the Open+ unstaffed library hours.

Open+ allows residents to use a number of library services without staff being around, including borrowing and returning books, picking up reservations, and using computers to access the internet.

But printing, photocopying, and access to face-to-face information is only available during staffed hours.

Stockport council was asked for a full breakdown of the new staffed hours and how this has changed for each library, but it has not provided one, citing restrictions due to the pre-election period.

Reddish North councillor Rachel Wise said the changes to staffed hours at Reddish Library would stop children visiting the facility after school.

(Image - Alasdair Perry)

According to a sign at Reddish library, staff will not be around after 4pm on Monday and Tuesday, after 6pm on Wednesday, and after 2pm on Saturday. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday are unstaffed all day.

Ms Wise said "I am deeply concerned that Reddish has experienced the biggest loss in staffed hours in the borough.

"Our skilled and compassionate librarians help people with a huge variety of queries everyday, from using online forms to searching for cheaper utility bills. Removing their expertise in areas like Reddish and Brinnington, where digital confidence is low, will have a profoundly negative effect on people's ability to negotiate heavily online processes like job searches or registering to vote.

"It cannot be right that we are making it impossible for children to visit the library after school, four days out of five in Reddish, where they would be able to go twice if they lived in Bramhall."

Navendu Mishra, Labour's general election candidate in Stockport, said: "I'm quite concerned about this, I know the lifeline that libraries offer to people both young and old with warm spaces and offering access to the internet.

"It's going to affect thousands of people, we have children who depend on the library, who wait there after school while their parents finish their shift, using them for access to games and other things."

(Image - Alasdair Perry)

In February, the Lib Dem-run council presented its annual budget which was agreed with amendments.

One of these was from Stockport Labour Group, which required that changes to the borough's library service be taken in line with the 'Socio-Economic Duty' – which would need an assessment about the impact it would have on inequality.

Cllr Frankie Singleton, Stockport council's cabinet member with responsibilities including the library service, said: "As Labour councillors are well aware, the changes to library opening hours contained in the budget that they supported were subject to a full equalities impact assessment, including consideration of the Socio-Economic Duty, were taken through several rounds of formal scrutiny within the council and a public consultation.

"We are proud of our record of being able to keep our libraries open through the use of Open Plus technology despite ongoing cuts to local government funding.

"Staffed hours in our libraries have been tailored to suit each individual library's usage – including discussion with library staff and local schools. For example, in Reddish the staffed hours are more in the day time as that is when schools come in to use the service."

~

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.

Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or Twitter