Peterborough Libraries Closing Where They’re Needed Most
Vital Spaces Disappearing Fastest in Poorest Areas, Say Community Leaders
Peterborough libraries are warning that closures are happening in the places where they’re needed most, as new research reveals nearly half of UK adults have lost access to community spaces like parks, libraries and pubs since last year.
The decline is hitting deprived areas hardest, leaving families and older people without places to connect.
Jennie Storey from Friends of Woodston Library says:
“Libraries are incredibly important in our communities."
"They're not just a nice place to have. They're a vital part of people's lives all the way from children and to older people, they also provide a safe space.”
She adds, “What's really been humbling, is that the friendships that have been formed and the communities that have been formed - people giving advice and support to each other and they're such welcoming places. It would have a devastating impact in communities."
"More investment and more time is needed to support libraries so they can offer the services people can't access anywhere else.”
Jennie says it’s alarming that closures are happening faster in deprived areas:
“It seems as though four times as many are in the poorest areas, but clearly the areas that perhaps need them more, they're going, they're going more quickly.”
Charities like Trussell are warning that losing these vital spaces is driving up social isolation, especially in places like Peterborough, where people depend on libraries for much more than books.