Birmingham City Council eyes up plans to close libraries to cut costs
Twenty-five of the city's libraries would be shut under new proposals
Birmingham City Council is reported to be considering plans to close some of the city's libraries in an effort to cut costs.
The authority is looking at ways to slim the services it offers down in order to save money after it declared itself bankrupt last year.
Plans have been floated at the feasibility of closing 25 of the city's 36 libraries, which could help bring £300 million into the budget over the next three years.
According to proposals, a total of 11 libraries would be left open to the public - with one library remaining open per constituency.
The only library that would be affected by the proposed changes would be the Library of Birmingham, an integral part of the city's new infrastructure in Centenary Square.
Following the closure of the libraries, the remaining 11 would then have dual functions as both libraries and neighbourhood advice hubs.
Campaigners, however, have urged the Council not to go ahead with the plans, as libraries form part of the lifeblood of the local community.
Birmingham City Council has not yet responded to the claims, but is set to reveal its long-awaited budget for the year on Monday (February 19th).
Should the potential library closures be included in the proposal, it would be the single biggest cut in spending a local authority has ever made in the country.
Other rollbacks are also expected as the Council tries to balance the books for the year, including cutbacks on childcare and reductions in the operations department, which look after the city's roads and bins.
The Council itself is not spared form the cuts, as 50% of the Council's overall management is predicted to be culled - resulting in hundreds of job losses across the authority.
Residents in the city may also see an increase to the cost of their council tax as the government tries to recuperate its losses and establish its feasibility once again.
No exact details of what will be included in the budget proposal have been released, and the full budget will be revealed to councillors on Monday.