A local council has overseen a six-figure sum on library refurbishment and soaring staffing costs despite slashing opening hours by more than a third.
Data obtained from North Ayrshire Council revealed that the authority had also dramatically reduced its budget for books at Largs Library.
The Allanpark Street facility has received £112,000 in refurbishment funding since 2020, yet has become significantly less accessible for locals.
It now operates just 30 hours weekly, down from 43 hours in 2020/21.
The data, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, showed that investment in what books were offered to the community had also plummeted.
Expenditure on new material at Largs library has fallen by 36 per cent over five years, dropping from £11,494 in 2020/21 to just £7,337 currently.
Staffing costs at the venue have meanwhile climbed substantially, reaching £126,235 annually for five employees.
This represented a marked increase from £81,877 five years ago.
North Ayrshire Council is spending huge sums on staffing costs and refurbsihments despite slashing opening hours at Largs library
|
GETTY
By comparison, the council’s Fairlie reading hub operates with staffing costs of approximately £8,000.
The breakdown of upgrade spending reveals that furniture accounted for the lion’s share at nearly £88,000.
Additional works included installation of a new kitchen, fresh paintwork, replacement carpeting and electrical improvements.
Whilst Largs experienced reduced accessibility, other North Coast facilities saw modest improvements according to the data obtained by Largs and Millport Weekly News.
Opening hours have declined by a third, and the book budget has plummeted by 36 per cent at Largs Library
|
West Kilbride library extended its weekly hours from 25 to 26, with Millport similarly adding an extra hour to reach 17 weekly.
Fairlie and Skelmorlie maintained their schedules at nine and 15 hours respectively throughout the five years.
Upgrade expenditure varied considerably across the network, with West Kilbride receiving £35,000 for furniture, paint and carpeting.
Meanwhile, Skelmorlie’s £24,000 allocation included items such as a noticeboard, key safe and frosted glass.
Millport received just £5,700, and Fairlie £14,400.
The council explained that book budgets are reviewed annually, determined by borrowing figures from the preceding year.
North Coast Conservative councillor Tom Marshall welcomed the council’s approach to maintaining library services.
He told Largs and Millport Weekly News: “It is good news that all the libraries have managed to stay open, unlike some other local authority areas.
“Libraries are not a statutory duty of the council, so it is by discretion, and it was a major decision to keep them open, particularly given the cutbacks to the library service in schools.
“The council sometimes gets a lot of stick for allegedly not doing the proper things, but I think it deserves plaudits here as literacy and ability is the foundation of education.
“The library also provides a lot of digital access to content too, so it is welcome to see that these facilities have continued to provide a valued and free service to the community.”
GB News has approached North Ayrshire Council for further information.