North Somerset library cuts “pit communities against each other” as closures approved
North Somerset Council votes to shut Worle and Winscombe libraries while keeping Pill open, sparking concerns over unequal impact on deprived areas
A top councillor has warned that North Somerset Council’s library closures have been “pitting one community against the other.”
Councillors voted on February 24 to approve plans to axe funding for Worle Library and Winscombe Library but to keep Pill Library open. It was the most popular option in a public consultation on how to cut library funding by a fifth which asked if the council should close all three, or save either Pill Library or Winscombe Library by cutting more hours at other libraries.
Pill’s local councillor Jenna Ho Marris (Green), who is also the council cabinet member for homes and health, said she was pleased the village’s library was staying open but criticised the framing of the consultation. She said: “We can’t always be pitting one community against the other.”
In order for the council to make the planned savings while keeping Pill Library open, the library in the Bournville’s For All Healthy Living Centre will start closing on Mondays. The Bournville is the most deprived area in North Somerset and one of the most deprived in England, while Pill is the district’s most deprived area outside of Weston-super-Mare.
Helen Thornton (Weston-super-Mare Uphill, Labour) said: “These reductions in hours do not seem to be fairly distributed across North Somerset. … We will need to monitor them very carefully because the equalities impact assessment makes clear that, yet again, it will be our poorest and most vulnerable residents who will be impacted.”
Ian Parker (Weston-super-Mare South, Labour), whose ward includes the Bournville, said that 272 people had used the library in one day in half term and the need for staff was “paramount.” He said: “The library often manages an average of more incidents than is typical, necessitating skilled staff presence to ensure safety and effective operations.”
He added: “Over the years the team have nurtured a sense of trust within the local community which is an essential aspect of the service. The staff is experienced in managing the high number of unaccompanied minors ages 5 to 8, a unique and vital service which they provide. The staff is skilled in handling complexities of a diverse community, including families with challenging needs.”
But Bridget Petty (Backwell, Green) said: “I wholeheartedly support that Pill, as a library in one of our most deprived areas, is worth fighting for and is really important for the community there. If other libraries need to take a reduction in hours to enable us to keep Pill open, then I think that is worth doing.”
Ms Ho Marris added: “Pill isn’t getting a gold-plated service. It is only open two and a half days a week and it is going to be cut as well — by another half a day.”
Cuts in opening hours are also affecting the main Weston‑super‑Mare Library in the town hall, the North Somerset Studies Library, the Campus Library, and the libraries in Nailsea, Clevedon, Yatton, and Portishead. The council plans to increase the use of self-service outside of staffed hours, but Ms Thornton warned: “There’s lots of people who really need staff to use a library.”
North Somerset Council voted a year ago to cut its funding for libraries by £433k. Almost 5,000 people responded to the consultation on where the cuts should be made. No option was offered to keep Worle Library open, because the building needs £1.4m of repairs which the council says it cannot afford.
The cabinet member responsible for libraries, Mike Solomon (Hutton and Locking, Independent), told the meeting: “It’s going to be a bit of a hardship for people because of the extra closures but it was this tradeoff between do we close libraries or do we take hours off. … It is regrettable but it is an option that had to be taken.”
He said: “Obviously we didn’t want to be in a position where we were making any cuts on library services but over the last few years, like other councils, we have had more and more cuts from government funding which haven’t helped us to mitigate against any cuts on things like libraries.”
The cuts to libraries’ opening hours and the closure of Worle Library will come into effect on September 7. But Mr Solomon said the council would now be “committing to establish and sustain alternative provision in Worle, through outreach services and/or community library models designed and delivered with the community and Weston-super-Mare Town Council to meet relevant needs.”
Local author Nick Smart, who was largely self-educated at Worle Library and wrote part of his book there, had addressed a cabinet meeting earlier this month urging them to save the library. He said: “I am living proof of the social mobility that comes through library services.”
Winscombe Library will stay open until the end of March 2027, while the council works with the local parish council and community to look at whether they can take it over to run it themselves. Congresbury’s library has been run by a community group since 2017. The parish council could also fund North Somerset Council to keep running the library.
In a statement, Mr Solomon said: “This has not been an easy conversation for councillors, staff or for our communities. We fully recognise how difficult and unsettling these proposals may feel, but our financial situation means that tough conversations — and ultimately tough decisions — must be faced.
“We have listened carefully to what people told us during the consultation. It is clear how much our libraries are valued, and communities have asked us to find creative, inclusive and future‑focused ways to keep services accessible. This feedback has shaped the recommendations approved at full council.”
“We remain committed to ensuring that our future library service is fair, accessible and future‑proof, while continuing to meet our statutory duty to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ service. Working together with community groups, parish councils and local partners, will do everything we can to ensure our libraries remain vibrant, welcoming and responsive — now and into the years ahead.”
But more cuts to libraries’ opening hours are on the horizon. The meeting on February 24 also saw councillors approve the council’s 2026/27 budget which — as well as an 8.99% council tax rise — also includes another £50k cut to libraries.
A North Somerset Council spokesperson said: “This is an additional proposed saving for the service and we’ll be working during the year ahead to identify how we can meet any required reduction in budget. Any saving will consider community needs and be subject to an equalities impact assessment to ensure that any impacts on the community are fully understood and minimised.”